Voices From The Past
by DarkHelm145
Summary: Winter Cup had ended, but a new challenge was around the corner. Seirin and other schools with members of the Generation of Miracles were challenged by a United States high school. The catch, the American team is made up of Ryuto's middle school teammates. With them coming to Japan, Ryuto's past is revealed for everyone to see. *SEQUEL to The New Miracle*
1. Chapter 1

**AN: Here starts the sequel to The New Miracle: Voices From The Past. I do hope you enjoy this story as much as you enjoyed the last one. Some clarifications will be at the end of the story. If you have anymore questions PM me. Remember I do NOT own KnB or The Flash, I only own my character and the plot.**

 **Make sure you read The New Miracle first!**

Voices From The Past

Chapter 1

The Next Challenge

Barry Allen adjusted his jacket in the mirror of his room. He made sure he had everything he needed for the day. January was about to end, but the days were still cold and snow piled up everywhere. He heard his foster dad, Joe West, call out his name, saying he as going to miss the bus. Barry quickly picked up his bag and darted down the stairs to the front door were Joe and Iris were waiting.

"Man, you take longer than me to get ready." Iris teased. "I had a hard time looking for my jacket is all." Barry said placing his bag over his shoulders.

"Learn a lot you two." Jose said.

The two teens nodded and exited the house towards the bus stop.

Barry Allen was a 16 year old high schooler. He was in 10th grade, but his features made him look like he was still a middle schooler. He had light brown hair and green-brown eyes, with somewhat pale skin. Meanwhile Iris had darker skin, due to being African-American, and dark brown hair with the same color eyes; like Barry she was also 16 in 10th grade.

They arrived at the bus stop, where the two were greeted by Barry's best friend Cisco. He had dark brown hair that fell to the top of his neck with light brown eyes and a tanner skin tone. He was also in 10th grade but he was still 15.

"Hey, Cisco." Barry said fist bumping his friend. "What's up man? Good morning Iris." Cisco said. "Hello, Cisco." Iris said.

The bus arrived soon after and the three got on board.

"So, did you do the math homework?" Cisco asked Barry. "Yeah. I found it easy though." Barry said. "Same here, math is so simple." Cisco added. "You two are the biggest nerds. If it weren't for the basketball team you two would be easily picked on." Iris teased with a smile. "That hurts Iris." Cisco said placing his hand on his chest.

It was true, Barry and Cisco were members of the Central City High School Basketball Team. Barry played as a small forward and was also the captain. While Cisco was a point guard and was vice-captain. However, they were members of the varsity basketball team despite being 10th graders. This was done because the coach merged both the junior varsity and varsity teams early into the season. Barry had been captain since he was a freshman, succeeding who would have been captain had he stayed in Central City.

The three then got off the bus at their school, where they were greeted by two more people; Caitlin Snow and Ronnie Raymond. Ronnie was also part of the basketball team and played power forward, but he could play every position just as skillfully. Like the other three Caitlin and Ronnie were also in 10th grade with Ronnie being 16 and Caitlin being 15. Caitlin had light brown almost blonde hair and had dark blue eyes. Ronnie had short dark brown hair and light brown eyes.

"Hey guys!" Cisco called out.

The two teens waved to them and gathered together. The three boys began to talk about the basketball season and how the coach seemed eager to tell them something.

"What do you think it's about?" Barry asked. "I hope it's something cool." Cisco said. "Or maybe he just wants to address the team." Ronnie said shrugging. "You know how coach is he never keeps us guessing. It's got to be something big." Cisco said with a smile.

"Boys." Iris and Caitlin said in unison.

All of a sudden a loud screech was heard in the school yard. The five friends turned towards the noise to see what was going on. What they saw was a large crowd of girls cluttering the entrance of the school. The five gave a sigh, they knew what was happening.

"Does this have to happen every time he arrives?" Barry asked. "At this point I'm used to it, but it's annoying at the same time." Ronnie said. "I just want to punch him sometimes." Cisco said making a fist.

Then, just like the Red Sea, the crowd formed a gap and between them walked a a boy with dirty dirty blonde hair. He walked in with a rich boy swagger with all his clothes being expensive and with a brand name. He took off his sunglasses to show is icy blue eyes that somehow radiated warmth. This boy was Oliver Queen, rich boy from Star City, he was studying in Central City because his parents sent him. Like the five friends he was also a 10th grader, be he was older than them at 17. Behind him walked a tall African-American man with short black hair and matching colored eyes. His thick jacket hid his muscular physique. His name was John Diggle

"Come on Dig, take in the popularity." Oliver said. "You're the one who likes the attention, Oliver." Diggle said. "Ladies it's been a pleasure, but I need to get to class." Oliver announced.

He then turned his back to the crowd and walked into the school.

"How does Diggle get along with him?" Cisco asked. "I don't have a clue." Ronnie replied. "He's so hard to get along with as well." Barry added. "And he's our teammate." the three said in unison.

Barry then turned back to the girls, who had disappeared. He placed his hand behind his head and wondered where they went.

"Hey, where did Iris and Caitlin go?" Barry asked. "They must've gone inside. It is getting cold." Cisco said rubbing his hands together. "Cisco's right. We should get inside." Ronnie added.

The three boys then entered the school and got ready for the day. The day seemed to pass quickly when the lunch period arrived. Ronnie, Cisco, and Barry got together and ate lunch at the same table. As they ate, Oliver walked over to their table and "spilled" his drink over Barry.

"Sorry, man. Guess my shoes are still wet." Oliver said with a laugh. "You know that was uncalled for." Cisco said standing up to defend Barry. "On the court we're teammates, but here it's a whole different story. Plus you don't have the foreigners to back you up." Oliver said with a smile. "That's enough Oliver." John said placing his hand on Oliver's shoulder.

"He's right. That is enough." a voice said from behind them.

Oliver let out a low grunt before heading to his own table, populated by Oliver's "friends."

"God, he's such a dick." Cisco said sitting down. "Sorry for the trouble he caused." a person said sitting down in front of Barry. "Thanks Jay." Barry said drying himself off.

Jay Garrick was Barry's maternal cousin. He was a year older than him, but he looked even older thanks to his height. He had light brown hair with dark brown eyes. He was an 11th grader and was quite popular. He smiled softly at his cousin.

"If he didn't turn into another person on the court, I would think he does these kinds of things on purpose." Ronnie said picking at his food. "I respect him as a player, but as a person he's the worst." Barry said. "As player? You've got to be kidding me Barry? He doesn't respect you as captain. Not the same way he respected Ry-" Cisco argued before he was stopped by Barry.

"I know that Cisco. I know I'll never be like him as a captain, no one ever will." Barry said standing up.

The three watched as their friend threw away his food and walked towards the bathroom.

"Damn that Oliver." Cisco said slamming his fists onto the table. "Calm down, Cisco. This always happens." Ronnie said. "Even still, Oliver should respect Barry as the captain and as a person." Jay said.

"It's 'cause Queen doesn't see Barry as an equal on the court." a low voice said with a sarcastic tone.

The three looked to the side and saw Leonard Snart sitting with his, probably only, friend Mick Rory. They too were on the basketball team, Snart played power forward while Mick played center. They were 10th graders as well with both of them being 16. Snart had short salt and pepper colored hair with cold blue eyes, while Mick seemed like he was already doing bald with fiery brown eyes.

"What's that supposed to mean Snart?" Ronnie asked. "It's the truth. Oliver respected the old captain back in middle school because he saw him as an equal, someone who could compete with him." Snart explained. "May be one day fleet feet will learn that. Come on Mick."

Mick simply grunted as he stood and followed Snart into a school hallway.

"Man those two could not be anymore different." Jay said running a hand through his hair.

After a little while, the bell rang for the next class to start and the four boys went their separate ways. Classes proceeded like normal and when the final bell rang, everyone quickly got up from their seats and headed towards their lockers. Barry grabbed his second bag from his locker and headed towards the school gym. In the locker room, he took off his school clothes and put on exercise clothes. He then walked into the gym where everyone on the basketball team was gathered.

Along with Cisco, Ronnie, Jay, John, Oliver, Snart, and Mick; there was also Carter Hall, an 11th grader, Ray Palmer, also an 11th grader, Curtis Holt, a 9th grader, along with a few others. Barry highfived Ray and said his hello's to the rest of the team. A few moments later the coach walked in along with an older man. Barry walked over to the man and said hello.

"Good afternoon Coach Wells, Coach Stein." Barry said. "Like was Mr. Allen." Stein said.

The coaches for the team was head coach Harrison Wells and assistant coach Martin Stein. Wells was a middle aged man who had dark hair and light blue eyes. He wore black framed glasses, that made his eyes sharper. Stein had was an older man, with aged white hair and brown eyes. He also wore thick black framed glasses. They both carried clipboards with a stat sheet. Behind them walked the teams manager, Felicity Smoak. She had blonde hair tied in a pony tail. She wore pink framed glasses which made her blue eyes seem sharper. Like the boys, she was a 10th grader. She mostly kept to herself, but she seemed to have a good friendship with Oliver, as well as with the other boys. Felicity turned to be with the group of boys, while Wells addressed the team.

"So you all must be wondering what the announcement is going to be, so I'll start out with that." Wells said. "This season has been going well. We're on a good path towards the championship and with that I thought it was a good idea to take our abilities to play against teams outside of our area."

"So we're going to be playing out of state?" Ray asked interrupting. "You could say that." Wells said.

"I've made the arrangements and as a team at the end of the season, we're going to be taking a trip to play against high schools in Japan." Wells said.

"Japan?" the team asked in unison.

"Indeed. There has been a growing number of high schools there with exceedingly strong basketball teams. I thought it was best to take our talents out of the country. All the information has been sent to your families both through email and letters. I do hope everyone can come, this will be a once in a life time experience." Wells finished.

"When is this trip happening? The season still hasn't ended." Jay asked. "This will most likely happen mid March. In order to coincide with the Japanese school year, which ends in April, this was the best time to do this. This will also not conflict with our season as well. I have already sent letter to each of the schools we'll be playing against and form what I've received most have agreed to play us." Wells answered.

There was excitement form the team, they seemed eager to play against people from another country. Barry was shaking with excitement at the thought, he had always wanted to visit another country, but to play basketball seemed even better. Then the thought dawned on him, he knew someone in Japan. He began to wonder if that person was playing for one of the teams that were invited.

 _Flashback_

"Wait, you're leaving?" Barry asked the person in front of him. "I'm sorry, it's not my choice." the person answered. "What happened to being there in high school? You are the one who helped realize that I liked basketball this much." Barry said on the verge of tears. "That's not true. You discovered that for yourself, and I know you can lead the team in high school." the person said turing to Barry. "I'm not respected like you are." Barry said hanging his head.

The person walked up to Barry and placed his hand on his shoulder. Barry looked up to see grey hair standing over him and a smile.

"One day we'll meet again. Until then get stronger and surpass me, I want to see that." the person said. "Will you come back?" Barry asked. "Most likely. I'll only be gone for a year, unless things change." the person said smiling.

 _End Flashback_

Barry gripped his shirt and wiped away the tears forming in his eyes. The thought of remembering him, caused him great sadness. Barry then raised his hand to ask a question, the only question that mattered.

"Will we be playing Ryuto's team?"

The gym fell silent, to those who had known Ryuto they knew it was a possibility. Wells let out a sigh before answering.

"I have yet to hear back from his school. However, I know he will play us." Wells said confidently.

Ryuto walked onto the balcony and hesitated before answering his phone. It had been a long time since he last heard his voice, he wondered if his friend had changed. Ryuto let out a breath and put the phone to his ear.

"I never expected to get a call from you." Ryuto said. "Well in order to tell you this calling seemed better than a text." Barry's voice said through the phone. "You haven't changed a bit Barry, you still sound the same." Ryuto said with a laugh. "I guess you're right. How are things over there?" Barry asked. "All good, at a friends birthday party right now actually." Ryuto said. "Sorry to take you away from that." Barry apologized. "It's not a problem. Was there something you wanted to tell me?" Ryuto asked. "Oh right, well the thing is…" Barry began to say.

Ryuto noticed at how he stopped himself. He wonder why it was so difficult just to tell him something. He then remembered that Barry had a difficult time expressing himself, so Ryuto decided to urge him on.

"And?"

"The team is headed to Japan to play basketball." Barry said quickly. "Wait, slow down. All I caught was team and basketball and something about going somewhere." Ryuto said.

Barry took a deep breath before repeating what he said.

"Coach Wells decided to take our skills out of the US. We're headed to Japan to play in exhibition matches against some of the best high schools." Barry said.

"Seriously? That's awesome! Though, I haven't heard anything from my school yet. Who did you guys ask?" Ryuto asked. "Coach Wells gave us a list of the schools he asked. Out of the six only four have answered back. The two we're missing are from a school called Tōō, I think that's how you pronounce it, and Seirin." Barry said. "Well I go to Seirin, so I'll tell you when I get the information." Ryuto said. "Really that's awesome. Sorry to bother you, but this was something I just had to tell you." Barry said. "No need to apologize. I'll text you later. Bye for now." Ryuto said. "Bye, Ryuto." Barry said hanging up.

Ryuto put his phone into his pocket and stared up at the sky. _Central City_ Ryuto thought.

"Whatcha doing out here?" a voice asked.

Ryuto looked back to see Kagami walking outside.

"Had to take a phone call." Ryuto said switching to Japanese. "With who? If you don't mind me asking." Kagami asked. "With, uh, Barry." Ryuto said. "Wait seriously? Why didn't you tell me? He never calls me." Kagami said.

Ryuto let out a laugh before answering.

"It was kind of spur of the moment." Ryuto said. "What did he tell you?" Kagami asked. "Not much, just updates on how Central City is." Ryuto said. "And how is everyone?" Kagami asked. "The same. Cisco is still Cisco. Ronnie is still Ronnie. Barry is still Barry. Oliver is still Oliver." Ryuto said. "I never liked Oliver." Kagami said with distaste. "Neither did I, but his skills were impressive." Ryuto said. "Yeah they were. Anyways, you should come back inside, there's still a party going on." Kagami said. "In a minute." Ryuto said.

Barry put his phone away as he walked into Iron Heights Prison. He had yet to see his dad after last time and Barry had to tell him he was traveling to Japan. He given permission to enter and was led into a room where he sat down in front of a glass window with his father stood in front of. They looked at each other for a moment before each taking a phone.

"Hey, Dad." Barry said happily. "What's up Slugger? You have that look in your eye like you want to tell me something." Henry Allen said. "Dad, I play basketball not baseball." Barry said with a smile. "I know, son. So, what is it you want to tell me." Henry said. "Well, to make a long story short, I'm headed to Japan to play basketball." Barry said with an excited smile.

Henry remained silent for a moment, taking in what his son had just told him. He then gave his son a smile of his own.

"That's great, I never knew you would like a sport this much that you would be this happy to go, God-knows-how-many-miles away just to play." Henry said. "I hope you can somehow watch the games." Barry said. "I'll figure something out." Henry said.

Barry wanted to say something, but he could not get the words out of his mouth. Henry, however, realized what he wanted to say and said it for him.

"Did something happen between you and your Japanese friend? What was his name? Started with an "R" I think." Henry said.

Barry let out a small laugh before answering.

"His name was Ryuto. How did you know that was what I was going to say?" Barry asked. "Well, your going to Japan and you came to me one time very upset that he was leaving, so the idea came into my head. Is he going to be one of your opponents?" Henry asked. "Yeah, he is." Barry said with a nod. "People can be both friends and rivals you know." Henry said softly. "He told me that the next time we would meet he wanted me to surpass him, and I don't know if I have." Barry said. "That's something you need to show him, I believe." Henry said. "Thanks, Dad." Barry said. "Good luck in Japan." Henry said.

Father and son gazed at each other for a moment before each hanging up the phone and standing up. Barry made his way back to his foster home, where Joe was standing at the door waiting for him.

"Were you out practicing?" Joe asked. "No, I went to go see my Dad. I had to tell him that I'm going to Japan." Barry said.

Joe then opened the door and let Barry in. After he walked in Joe followed him.

"Are you going to be playing against Ryuto?" Joe asked sitting on the couch. "I would hope so." Barry said. "I know you look up to him, but I believe you have gotten stronger than him." Joe said. "Thanks Joe. I'm going to head up to my room." Barry said.

Barry walked up the stairs and entered his room. He quickly closed the door and jumped on his bed. He looked over at his desk, where the photo of them winning in middle school sat. Barry began to stare at it remembering when he first met Ryuto.

Ryuto looked through his photos and found the one of when they won the championships in their last year of middle school. He then began to remember when he first met everyone on that team.

 **AN: Here comes to a close the first chapter to this story, I hope you enjoyed it. To clarify, certain events of the Flash have happened, but some things are entirely not canon, as you can tell. I'm also changing the canon to KnB a bit for this story as well, Kagami will not have lived in LA, as well as Himuro, they both lived in Central City. This is essentially an Arrowverse crossover, due to the presence of many characters throughout their series. I tried my best to translate each characters powers into an ability for basketball, you can call the team an American version of the GoMs. I realized to make this story flow better I had to change certain things form the previous story, for example: in The New Miracle, Ryuto becomes captain in middle school in his last year, I'm changing that to his second year.**

 **Finally, I'm not going to be adapting Last Game. This is because I could not find a way to have Ryuto fit into the story without changing the story as a whole. I wanted to see my character take part in that story, but there's no way I can do that. If you have any more questions, feel free to PM me.**

 **With all that out of the way, I hope you enjoyed this chapter and I hope you will enjoy the story. Remember to follow, favorite, and/or review if you haven't.**

 **One final thing, due to the damages of hurricane Maria where I live, updates will be slow. I do not have power or wifi and will not have for at least a month. I hope you all can understand.**


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: Here is chapter two! I hope you enjoy this chapter as much as the last one. Remember I do NOT own KnB or Flash, I only own my character and the story.**

Chapter 2

Origin Story Part One

It was the beginning of September and the leaves were just starting to fall. Ryuto stood at the gates of Central City Middle School, watching as people entered the school. He looked up to his mother who urged him to enter. He looked back towards the entrance again, he felt scared for some reason.

"Ryuto, there's no need to be scared. You'll be just fine." his mother said.

Ryuto nodded and began to walk. He looked towards his mother who smiled at him and waved. Ryuto continued to walk into the courtyard, he kept his head on a swivel looking in every direction. He then felt someone place their arm over him. He looked to his side and saw a familiar redhead smiling at him.

"What's up, Ryuto?" Kagami asked. "Kinda nervous honestly." Ryuto said. "It won't be that bad." Kagami said. "I hope you're right." Ryuto said. "Come on, let's head inside." Kagami said.

Ryuto nodded and followed Kagami into the school. As they walked someone rushed past them. As he did so, the person fell. Ryuto rushed over to him and kneeled down next to him. He looked towards his shoes and noticed untied sneakers. The person sat up and Ryuto quickly noticed it was a boy. He was rubbing his forehead and repeatedly saying "ow."

"Are you alright?" Ryuto asked in English. "Yeah, I'm good. Guess my shoes got loose." the boy said with a laugh.

Ryuto managed to get a good look at the boy, he had black hair and light brown colored eyes. He had tan skin, which seemed pale in autumn weather. He brushed hair out of his face and sat up to tie his shoes. The boy the looked up and made eye contact with Ryuto, the boys eyes then darted up to his hair and his eyes went wide.

"Woah, grey hair. Awesome." the boy said. "Really?" Ryuto asked surprised.

Usually people would make fun of his hair, calling him many names.

"Yeah, I think it's cool. I'm just wondering why your parents let you dye it." the boy said. "Why does everyone think that?" Ryuto asked quietly.

Kagami let out a small snicker, to which Ryuto responded with a glare.

"It's not dyed, it's natural. I have natural grey hair." Ryuto said standing up. "That's even cooler." the boy said with a smile.

"I told you one day someone would appreciate it." Kagami said patting Ryuto on the shoulder.

"The name's Cisco by the way." the boy, now named Cisco, said.

"Ryuto."

"Taiga"

"Woah, you two are Japanese right?" Cisco said. "Well, I'm half-Japanese. He's Japanese." Ryuto said pointing to Kagami. "That's still cool." Cisco said.

Ryuto and Kagami both smiled and laughed.

"What's so funny?" Cisco asked. "It's nothing." Kagami said. "We should be getting to homeroom." Ryuto said. "What class are you guys in?" Cisco asked. "I'm in 6-A." Ryuto said. "I'm in 6-C." Kagami said. "Cool, I'm with Ryuto then. I'm also in 6-A." Cisco said. "Then let's get a move on." Ryuto said. "Right, catch you later. Nice to meet you Cisco." Kagami said separating from the group.

"Come on, Cisco." Ryuto said. "Coming." Cisco said grabbing his bag.

The two arrived at their homeroom and waited for class to begin. The two began to talk, with Cisco saying that his real name was Francisco and that 'Cisco' was a nickname.

"Can I call you Ryu? It's a lot easier, and cooler." Cisco asked. "I'd prefer if you didn't." Ryuto said with a nervous smile.

Cisco simply nodded and continued to talk. Soon after, the bell rang and the two entered their homeroom. The teacher began to call out names, and when she reached Ryuto's she struggled to pronounce it.

"Rye-u-to Ri-shi-hara?" the teacher said. "Present. It's pronounced Ree-you-to Ree-she-hara." Ryuto corrected. "Thank you for the clarification." the teacher said.

"I didn't know it was pronounced like that. Why didn't you correct me?" Cisco whispered. "'Cause I knew I'd correct it in class." Ryuto answered.

Soon after, Ryuto headed for his first class. When he sat down, he saw a another student enter. He seemed to be a rich boy based on his attire and the way he flaunted everything. He had blonde hair and blue eyes, which only strengthened his rich boy persona. Behind him walked a tall African-American boy with short black hair. The two seemed to be friends as the blonde boy talked to him in a playful tone. _I've only just seen him and I already don't like the guy_ Ryuto thought about the blonde boy. Once all the students took their seats, class began.

After four classes, Ryuto headed for lunch. While in the cafeteria line, Cisco walked up to the line. The two greeted each other and when they got their food, they went to find a table together. As they walked, a flyer caught Ryuto's attention. He gave a quick look and saw that it was an announcement for volleyball tryouts. Knowing that that was not the sport he played, turned back to finding a table. The two then found a table and sat down. Kagami came soon after with his own plate of food.

"So, Ryuto, you play sports?" Cisco asked not facing him. "Yeah, why?" Ryuto asked. "I just saw you looking at the volleyball flyer, but it didn't seem to be your sport based on the face you put." Cisco said.

Ryuto let out a small laugh before answering.

"Well, yeah, it's not my sport, but I still like to play it for fun. Personally, I like basketball." Ryuto said. "I like basketball too, my, uh, friend got me into it." Kagami said. "That's cool. I like it too, but I'm not that good at it." Cisco said sheepishly. "Neither is Taiga, but he still plays." Ryuto teased. "Shut up." Kagami said punching Ryuto's arm.

Cisco began to laugh watching the two Japanese boys argue.

"I can tell you've been friends for awhile." Cisco said. "I mean, he needed a friend since he didn't know English. Well, me and someone else." Ryuto said. "You make me sound like a loser." Kagami said punching Ryuto again.

The two stopped, when there was a loud commotion a few tables away from them. The three friends looked over to see the blonde boy at a table surrounded by girls, while his friend seemed forgotten at a corner of the table.

"Great, it's that flamboyant kid." Ryuto said. "Wait, you know him?" Cisco asked. "No, we have a class together. His name is Queen or something like that." Ryuto answered. "As in the Queen family from Star City? Oliver Queen?" Cisco asked. "Why is that name important?" Kagami asked taking a drink of water. "Because that's one of the richest families in Star City. He's a millionaire, well his parents are. He the son of founder of Queen Industries." Cisco explained. "I think I've heard of that name." Ryuto said. "Same goes for me." Kagami said. "Come on guys, that company makes all sorts of cool stuff. I want to see all the tech they have." Cisco said. "You like technology, Cisco?" Ryuto asked. "Yeah, I'm kinda like the IT guy at my house." Cisco said nervously.

Ryuto took a moment before saying anything.

"I think that's cool." Ryuto said. "Yeah, I think it's cool too. I wish I was more handy with that stuff. I only know the basics of the basics." Kagami said. "Thanks guys." Cisco said.

As the school year continued, Cisco, Ryuto, and Kagami became closer friends. They knew each other well. Cisco knew that Kagami was originally from Japan and that Ryuto was Japanese-American. Eventually, November came and Ryuto found out that's when the tryouts for basketball were. He knew Kagami would try out, without hesitation, so he wanted to convince Cisco to join as well. On their way to their homes, Ryuto began to talk to Cisco about the tryouts.

"Hey, Cisco, basketball tryouts are coming up. Are you going to try out?" Ryuto asked. "You don't have to convince me, I'm going to try out." Cisco said.

Ryuto was taken back for a moment. He was prepared to convince Cisco to try, but based on his look he was determined to try out. Ryuto smiled softly at his friend.

"Cool, I can't wait." Ryuto said enthusiastically.

"What position do you play?" Cisco asked. "I've been told I'm a small forward, but I can play almost anything. I'm a bit taller than most, so I play center most of the time. How about you?" Ryuto said. "I think point guard will be the best position for me. It's the position where I can assist the team the most." Cisco answered. "I can see you playing that position." Ryuto said with a smile. "What about Taiga?" Cisco asked. "He's an aggressive player, so probably power forward." Ryuto said shrugging. "I can see him like that." Cisco said with a snicker.

Ryuto then began to laugh at the comment. The two then went their separate ways, towards their respective homes. When Ryuto got to his home, he took off his shoes before entering. He then opened the door, to see his father cooking.

"Hey, Dad." Ryuto called out as he walked towards the stairs. "Ryuto." his father said.

Ryuto let out a sigh.

"Hello, Dad." Ryuto said in Japanese. "That's better." his father said with a smile.

Ryuto then walked up the staired and opened the door to his room. He set his bag down and sat on his bed. He let out a yawn as he took out a book from his bag. He began to skim through the book, when his father called him. He walked downstairs to see his father setting plates for dinner. His father then looked up to Ryuto.

"Get your brother and your mother." his father said. "Ok." Ryuto replied as he turned back to go up the stairs.

He then knocked on the door to his brothers room and called out his name. "Toshiro, dinner's ready."

The door then swung open and his brother rushed out of the room. Ryuto's brother had wild jet black hair with bright blue-green eyes. He then walked over to his mothers room and knocked on the door.

"Dinners ready, Mom." Ryuto called out quietly.

The door opened slowly and his mother walked out of the room. She seemed very tired.

"How's Yuki?" Ryuto asked.

Yuki was Ryuto's younger sister, she was 5 years old, but she was a handful. She had light brown hair along with hazel eyes.

"She's still a handful." his mother said yawning.

His mother's name is Rikai (Ree-kai). She had dark brown hair with hazel eyes, she usually keeps her hair in a ponytail, but she had it loose this time. His father's name is Ryunosuke. He had light brown hair that was greying, and blue eyes. The four gathered around the table, with the parents at then ends.

"Thanks for the food." they said in unison.

Then they began to eat. Toshiro gabbed whatever he could get quickly, while his parents were slow to grab food. Ryuto was an in between, he could grab small amounts of everything at his own pace.

"So, how was school today, Ryuto?" his father asked. "Fine. Basketball tryouts are this week." Ryuto said. "Are you and Taiga going to try out?" his father asked. "Yes. Along with another friend." Ryuto answered. "Is this friend, that Cisco I've been hearing about?" his mother asked. "He's a good guy, Mom. Also a good friend." Ryuto said. "I'm not saying that. You seem happy to be friends with him." his mother said.

Ryuto let out a sigh, his parents always tried to read to deep within the lines. Once dinner was finished, he helped his mother clean the kitchen. After that was done, he headed back to his room to do homework.

The next morning, Ryuto got ready for school. He made a second bag with exercise clothes for the tryouts. He then walked out the door and waited at the bus stop. While he waited, Cisco arrived. He had a second bag as well, the two friends nodded at each other. Soon after, the bus arrived and they got on. When they arrived at school, Kagami was waiting at the entrance for them. Ryuto and Cisco greeted the redhead and entered the school. They went about their school day and went lunch came, they sat together. Since then, the three boys had made another friend; a girl named Caitlin. She was quite and reserved, but she seemed to have a strong friendship with Cisco and she seemed to talk easily with Ryuto and Kagami.

"So you're Japanese-American," Caitlin said pointing to Ryuto, "and you were born in Japan."

The two boys nodded. They had gotten the same question every once in a while, everyone was curious about them; to the point where they were both called foreigners.

"I'm, like, third generation born here, I think." Ryuto said. "I came from Japan to live with my Mom." Kagami said. "Interesting." Caitlin said. "I think we've explained it a couple times already." Ryuto said.

"What about your hair? That can't be genetic." Caitlin asked. "It is natural! My aunt and cousin has pink hair for crying out loud. Her best friend has dark blue hair!" Ryuto said. "What, I don't believe you?" Cisco said with a laugh.

Ryuto jammed his hand into his pocket and took out his phone. He opened the photos application and found the one for his cousin and the friend. When he found it he turned his phone to his friends.

"See. Cousin: pink hair. Other guy: blue hair. All natural." Ryuto said. "I still don't believe it." Caitlin said crossing her arms. "Do I need to give you a hair sample?" Ryuto asked sarcastically. "Well, my mom is a doctor, so if that would be a problem, then yes." Caitlin said. "Ok, now that's seriously weird." Ryuto said.

Then the sound of the bell filled the cafeteria. The four friends got up and went to their respective classes.

The day passed normally and the bell for the end of the day sounded. Ryuto went to his locker and grabbed his exercise clothes. He met up with Kagami and Cisco, and headed towards the gym. They went to the bathroom and quickly got changed. When they entered the gym, they saw a lot of boys there. Some were warming up, others were bouncing basketballs, and some were just talking with others.

"Damn, I never expected to see so many people." Kagami said. "But there can only be twelve on the team right?" Cisco asked. "Yeah, lets hope we make the cut." Ryuto said.

Ryuto found a loose ball and began to dribble the ball between his legs. He then did a crossover and passed to Kagami. Kagami did his own dribbling maneuvers, before passing the ball to Cisco. Cisco grabbed the ball and stood there, he did not know what to do.

"It's a warm up for dribbling. It's something me and Taiga do." Ryuto explained.

Cisco nodded and did some simple crossovers, before passing it to Ryuto.

"Nice. Once you get better, it'll be easier for you to do more advanced maneuvers." Ryuto encouraged.

As they continued to warm up, the door to the gym slammed open and in walked a blonde haired boy, followed by an African-American boy.

"Great it's Oliver." Ryuto said rolling his eyes.

"Would you look at all these scrubs, Dig. I wonder if they can put up a fight." Oliver announced. "That was unnecessary Oliver." the boy, now called Dig, said.

There were murmurs within the large group of boys. Ryuto gave the ball to Cisco and began to walk towards Oliver. Ryuto stopped when he saw Cisco place his hand on his shoulder.

"Don't. He may be an ass, but it's not worth it." Cisco warned. "Sorry, but I just can't stand people like that." Ryuto said.

He walked up to Oliver who had grabbed a ball. He was spinning it on his finger when he saw Ryuto standing in front of him. Oliver let out a yelp and jumped back, causing the ball to fall.

"Woah, when did you stand there?" Oliver said collecting himself.

Ryuto stayed silent for a moment, as he watched Oliver size him up. Oliver's eyes darted around Ryuto, but his eyes lingered on his hair.

"So, foreigner, I didn't know you played basketball. I've always thought you guys were good at ping-pong or something." Oliver said with a laugh. "I'm going to ignore that racist comment. For your information, I was born here." Ryuto said. "My bad for assuming things." Oliver said with a hint of sarcasm. "Just so you know, everyone has a right to be here." Ryuto said. "It's not my fault there are so many scrubs. Like that guy over there, he's clearly not cut out to play." Oliver said gesturing to someone.

Ryuto looked out of the corner of his eye and saw him gesturing to Cisco. Ryuto was now angry, his eyes changed from their usual grey-light blue color, to a stormy grey. Oliver was quick to notice the change.

"How about a one-on-one? We'll see who's the scrub." Oliver challenged. "Sure," Ryuto said grabbing a basketball, "first one to five wins. You start."

"You're on." Oliver said with a smug smile.

There were murmurs from the others as they watched the two boys set up for there game. Meanwhile, Cisco and Kagami looked worried.

"Why did he have to pick a fight?" Cisco said. "Don't worry, Ryuto won't loose. He never has." Kagami said confidently.

Oliver began to dribbled the ball, while Ryuto got into a defensive stance. He watched Oliver dribble and analyzed his opponent. _Clearly, Oliver knows how to play. If not he would not be so confident_ Ryuto thought. He took a deep breath and let it out, he began to calm down. Oliver smiled and stopped his dribble. Ryuto noticed he was in front of the three point line. Oliver then set up for a shot, he brought up the ball to his forehead and jumped. Ryuto followed and jumped as well, but he was a second too late. Oliver had released the ball. Ryuto watched his release and noticed Oliver's release was a straight line. _It won't go in, it'll bounce off the backboard_ Ryuto thought. He turned to the basket ready to catch the ball. Ryuto's eyes widened in surprise at what the ball did, it bounced off the backboard and into the basket. The ball bounced on the floor and Ryuto turned back to Oliver, who had a smug smile.

"I never miss, Foreigner."

Ryuto grabbed the ball and got ready for his offense. He shook his head trying to forget what he had seen. He then let out a breath, he needed to concentrate. He knew he had to use his move in order to score, but it was not perfected yet. _I have to try it_ Ryuto thought. Ryuto the slowed down his dribble, and watched Oliver's reaction; he tensed up. Ryuto crossed over to his right, then back to his left. Everything played out in slow motion, Oliver stood still as he watched Ryuto pass by him. When he finally managed to turn, Ryuto was scoring a lay up.

 _What the hell was that? I saw him pass by me and I couldn't move. Who the hell is this guy?_ Oliver thought.

 _I'm still too slow and too noticeable_ Ryuto thought.

Then the people watching began to murmur again. They were all amazed at what both Ryuto and Oliver had done. They called Oliver's shot luck, but Ryuto's was given a name: Lightning Crossover. Ryuto turned to Oliver, his eyes clearly showed anger. Ryuto picked up the ball and passed it to Oliver.

"2-1, you're in the lead." Ryuto said getting into a defensive stance.

 _This guys is going to make me look bad. I'll crush him_ Oliver thought.

Oliver began to dribble, it was quick and erratic. An easy steal, Ryuto noticed. Oliver then set up for another shot and released. Ryuto noticed at how Oliver's eyes widened on the release. _Crap, it was too strong_ Oliver thought. Ryuto turned to the basket and saw the ball bounce off the backboard. Ryuto caught the ball and moved to score a lay up. As he jumped, Oliver jumped to block it. Ryuto knew he was going to block it, he needed to do something quickly. He then tossed the ball up and watched it fly. He needed the ball to bounce off the rim, he could not touch it again once he released it. He landed on the ground at the same time as the ball touched the rim. Ryuto quickly jumped again and pushed the ball into the basket. He landed again and faced Oliver, he was still angry.

"2-2, tie game." Ryuto said.

Oliver grabbed the ball and began to dribbled. Ryuto watched him, every time he started to dribble, he would set up for a shot quickly after. To his surprise, Oliver drove towards the basket. Ryuto moved to stop his advance, but Oliver crossed over twice and evaded Ryuto. Ryuto turned to stop Oliver from scoring, but he was too late, Oliver was already releasing the ball. The ball entered the basket, scoring a point for Oliver. When he landed, Oliver turned to Ryuto.

"3-2, I'm in the lead."

He then grabbed the ball and passed it to Ryuto. While the spectators made comments on Oliver's aggressiveness, saying they were not expecting that from him.

"You think I can only shoot threes, you couldn't be anymore wrong." Oliver said. "You were wrong too." Ryuto said.

Oliver raised an eyebrow at the comment. He then looked towards where Ryto was standing, he was in front of the three point line. Oliver's eyes widened and he ran to block a shot. Ryuto set up for a shot and saw Oliver jump to block the shot. Oliver looked to Ryuto's feet and noticed he had yet to jump. _Crap, it was a fake_ Oliver thought. Ryuto then released his shot, and watched as the ball sailed. It then entered the net without hitting the rim.

"4-3, I'm in the lead."

"Looks like you can shoot three's, color me impressed." Oliver said.

He then began to dribble the ball, he made no move to go to the three point line. Ryuto watched his opponent closely, he showed that he could shoot as well as drive to the basket, so there was no use wondering what his next move would be. _I just have to act on instinct_ Ryuto thought. Oliver then drove forwards, and Ryuto prepared to defend him. But Oliver stopped in his tracks and jumped back, his smug smile returned to his face. _A fadeaway?_ Ryuto thought. Oliver released the ball and scored.

"Tie game, 4-4."

"Final point." Ryuto said.

Ryuto began to dribble the ball, he knew his best chance to win was a jump shot; but Oliver closed the gap between them, he was ready for a drive and a shot. Ryuto crossover to his left and then back to his right. As he moved forward, he noticed his hand was empty. He looked down to see the ball was no longer there, he looked towards Oliver who had a surprised look on his face.

"Now that's enough you two!" a voice commanded.

Ryuto turned back to see a tall boy with black hair and blue eyes staring down at him. He was holding the basketball that Ryuto once had.

"I watched how this one-on-one started and now seemed like it was the best time to end it. You two will maybe be teammates, so you shouldn't be hating each other no matter the reason." the boy said sternly.

"I think you scared them enough, Clark." another voice said in a British accent.

Ryuto looked behind the black haired boy to see a red-blonde haired boy walking behind him. He walked up to them casually with his hands in his pockets.

"Play time is over, everyone get into five lines!" the black haired boy, now called Clark, ordered.

Everyone scurried around forming the lines Clark ordered. When he seemed satisfied, he cleared his throat.

"Now that everyone has calmed down, all me to introduce myself: my name is Clark Kent, I'm an eight grader and captain of this team." Clark announced.

"I'm Rip Hunter, eight grader and vice-captain. Pleasure to meet you all." Rip said.

Ryuto saw the two players, he expected the British person to be more straight laced, but it was the other way around.

"Let me get somethings out of the way first. Only twelve players are allowed in the team, and some have already been decided. Before you panic, it's only returning players who have gained the coach's attention in the previous season. For example: Rip and myself. To make you all feel better, there are only four who are on that list, the other two know who they are, but we asked them to be present during the try outs. Now, does everyone understand?" Clark asked.

"Yes!" all the boys said in unison.

"Well, now that Clark is done drilling you, try your best guys and meet the coaches." Rip said.

Then a door opened in the gym and all the boys turned their heads and saw two men enter. One had dark hair and blue eyes, with black framed glasses. The other was an older man with white hair with brown eyes and black framed glasses as well.

"It's a pleasure to meet you all. I'll be your coach for your middle school basketball career. My name is Harrison Wells." Wells said. "And I'm Martin Stein, pleased to meet you all." Stein said.

"To start this three day tryout, we'll divide you into three groups. Each group will go to a different station with a supervisor. Group one will go to the left basket with Coach Stein to work on layups. Group two will be in the center with Clark and Rip to work on dribbling. Finally, group three will be on the right basket with me to work on jump shots. Now then, to give you each a number." Wells explained.

Ryuto was given the number two, which meant his first drill was dribbling. The group of boys began to disperse to their station. Ryuto got into the line for the dribbling drill, when he got in line, he saw Cisco a few people in front of him. Clark then called for everyone's attention so he could explain the drills they would be doing.

"First one is simple, just dribble the ball and maneuver around the cones." Clark explained.

Two balls were given to the two boys in front, and were told when to go. Ryuto watched as each person did the drill, all of them knew how to dribble a ball. When Cisco went for his turn, Ryuto got worried. Despite defending his friend from Oliver, he had yet to see Cisco's abilities. He was relieved when it looked like dribbling came natural to him. It was soon, his turn. Ryuto began to dribble the ball, and moved around the cones effortlessly. He came back around, with the same ease. When everyone was finished, Clark explained the next drill.

"For this one, at each cone do a crossover in front of you, nothing fancy. You can start with whichever hand."

Ryuto once again watched everyone in front of him. This time, there were some who had difficulty doing a crossover. Either they missed the pass to the other hand, or the ball went through their legs. When it was Cisco's turn, Ryuto was once again surprised at how it came easily to him. _Cisco's a natural_ Ryuto thought with a smile. On Ryuto's turn, he did the crossovers with ease and returned to the line.

"The grey haired is a natural." Clark whispered. "Yeah, everything is so easy for him." Rip whispered back.

After they were done with all the drills, Coach Wells blew his whistle and called for each group to rotate. Ryuto's group moved with Coach Stein to do lay ups. As they got in line, Ryuto moved towards Cisco.

"You did great." Ryuto said. "You think?" Cisco said placing his hand behind his head. "Yeah, you seemed comfortable." Ryuto said. "Well if I want to be point guard, I'll need to be a good dribbler." Cisco said.

Ryuto nodded, and turned his attention to Coach Stein.

"Well then everyone, let's get started. The drill is simple, there will be two lines, one will pass the ball while the other drives to the basket. The passer will pass the ball, and the other player will grab the ball and shoot a lay up. Does everyone understand?"

There were a couple people who seemed lost at the instructions. Coach Stein let out a small sigh.

"Would anyone like to demonstrate?" Stein asked.

Ryuto raised his hand slowly, while another person raised his. Ryuto saw the person, and the two made eye contact. They nodded at each other and set themselves up a few feet behind the three point line. The other boy got the ball and Ryuto began to run towards the basket. The boy took a few dribbles before passing the ball, and when Ryuto caught it he took two steps and jumped; scoring a lay up. Ryuto grabbed the ball and gave it back to Coach Stein.

"Now then does everyone understand?" Stein asked.

There was a chorus of 'yes' from the boys.

"Very well then, you may begin." Stein said. "Actually, one final instruction: when your turn passes, go to the opposite line."

Another chorus of 'yes' was heard and the drill began.

"Hey, what's your name?" Ryuto asked the boy he had partnered with. "Name's Jay Garrick. Pleasure." the boy, now named Jay, said. "I'm Ryuto Rishihara. I'm a sixth grader, what about you?" Ryuto asked. "Seventh, I played last year too." Jay said as he jogged over to his line.

"Jay, huh." Ryuto said aloud.

While the group did the drill, every once in a while, the group with Coach Wells would continue to cheer. Ryuto looked to that group and saw Oliver making a simple jump shot. When he landed, he ran a hand through his hair and gave a smug smile.

"As I said, I never miss." Oliver boasted.

Ryuto rolled his eyes at the sight, he knew he was never going to get along with Oliver. He turned back to his drill, which had yet to change. When Coach Wells called for a rotation, Ryuto's group had done the same drill many times. Ryuto wiped the sweat on his forehead as he jogged towards the next drill.

"Man, how many lay ups did we do?" Cisco asked panting. "I think I stopped counting at 25." Ryuto said. "And now we have to do God-knows-how-many jump shots." Cisco added.

Ryuto simply nodded and got ready for the drill with Coach Wells.

"So, this is how this drill is going to work. One player is going run, no jogging, to the elbow and receive a chest pass from the player standing in front of him. After the pass, the passer will run around the shooter to the other elbow and receive a pass from in front of him. Does everyone understand?" Wells asked.

There were several 'yeses' and a few nods. Coach Wells seemed satisfied and started the the drill went on, Coach Wells was taking down notes on his clipboard. He would occasionally make a face about something, but Ryuto could not tell for what. Ryuto kept track of how many he made; so far he had made eight out of ten. Coach Wells watched Ryuto closely taking notes on his form and speed of release.

 _Overall, he's an average player, with above average skills. With a bit of work, he could be unstoppable_ Wells thought.

After a few repetitions, Coach Wells blew his whistle and had everyone do a new drill.

"This drill is called the five spots. You'll be shooting three pointer from five sports, each of which are marked with a cone. You will have five shots at each cone, once everyone goes once the drill will be over. Does everyone understand?" Wells asked.

He got the same response as he the previous drill, and the drill began. Ryuto now knew why Oliver was boasting, he did not miss a single three pointer, which surprised Ryuto. Normally his shot would never work, a straight line shot would simply bounce off the backboard, but somehow his bounced off the backboard and into the hoop. He was broken from his thoughts when it was his turn to shoot. He was consistent in his shots, usually making three out of the five at each spot. At the top of the arc was where he missed the most, only making one. He could Coach Wells writing something down as he finished his set of shots. _I'm inconsistent on three pointers, I need to get better at those_ Ryuto thought. When everyone went, Coach Wells called for all the players to come to the center.

"Now that everyone has finished, this is where today's tryout ends." Wells announced.

There was a lot of commotion follow the announcement, everyone was wonder why it was over so quickly.

"Settle down everyone, settle down. I know this is surprising, but today was to see at what level each of you are at the fundamentals. Tomorrow, we'll be doing more things. So, get some rest today and I expect everyone to come back tomorrow." Wells said.

There was another chorus of 'yes' and the group of boys dispersed. Ryuto walked towards his bag, he pulled out a water bottle and his extra shirt. He first drank some water, then took off his sweaty shirt to out on the dry one. He then sat against the wall and continued to drink water, as he did so Cisco and Kagami sat next to him.

"How do you think you did, Ryuto?" Cisco asked. "I think I did alright. My three pointers could use some work though." Ryuto answered. "What about you Taiga?"

"My dribbling needs some work, as well as my three pointers. I did good at the lay ups, Coach Stein gave me props." Kagami answered with a smile. "That's good, isn't it?" Cisco asked. "I would think so." Ryuto said.

The three friends sat in silence, each drinking water until Cisco broke the silence.

"You didn't need to stand up to Oliver."

Ryuto took the bottle away from his mouth and stared at his friend for a moment.

"Cisco, I told you this already, I did it 'cause I wanted to. Plus beating him in a one-on-one would have been satisfying." Ryuto said with a laugh towards the end. "I would've loved to see that." Kagami said laughing. "I guess you're right." Cisco said. "Well anyways," Ryuto said standing, "I'd better get going. I got homework to do." "Same." Kagami said with a groan. "The same goes for me." Cisco said. "Tomorrow, we'll give it our all. Ryuto said enthusiastically.

Cisco and Kagami nodded with a determined smile. The three friends fist bumped and exited the gym.

When Ryuto got home, he arrived just as his father finished cooking. His mother sucked a cooking, so he was always in charge of doing so.

"Great timing Ryuto, go wash your hands, your brother and mother should be down soon." his father said in Japanese.

Ryuto nodded and went straight to the bathroom. He set his bag against the stairs before doing so. After exiting the bathroom, his mother, his bother, as well as his sister, were all sitting at the table. Ryuto pulled out his chair and sat down.

"Thanks for this food." the family said in unison before eating.

"So, Ryuto how was the tryout?" his mother asked. "Fine, I need to improve my three pointers." Ryuto answered. "How are your teammates?" his father asked. "The captain is strict, but the vice-captain is really cool and laid back. The coaches are nice too. There's one guy who I doubt I'll get along with." Ryuto answered. "I'm sure you will at some point." his father said. "I hope you're right." Ryuto murmured. "What was that?" his father asked sternly. "Nothing, Dad. Just talking to myself." Ryuto answered.

The second day of the tryout was more of the same, more drills to exercise everyone's fundamentals. On the third day was when everyone was put to the test.

"For this last day, we'll be having a tournament." Wells announced. "Before you start asking questions, let Harrison explain." Stein said. "Thank you, Martin." Harrison replied.

"For this tournament, you are free to choose your teammates and your team will be comprised of five players. If there are people left over, we'll decide on what to do. You will be playing a five minute game, and the winner moves on while the looser will play against another looser. The grand finals will be between the winner and the winner of the losers bracket. Does everyone understand?"

There was a commotion between the players, each were giving there opinions on the matter. Coach Wells cleared his throat to get everyone's attention.

"I see that you all understand. Now pick your teammates, but choose wisely." Wells said.

The group of boys began to talk amongst each other picking out a team with their friends. Ryuto, Cisco, and Kagami were quick to form, but they needed two more players. The three looked around trying to find people who were by themselves. Ryuto found Jay, looking for people to join.

"I think I got someone." Ryuto said.

He jogged towards Jay and tapped him on the shoulder. When he turned to Ryuto, he noticed how tall Jay was; he was almost a head taller than Ryuto.

"What's up?" Jay asked. "If you don't have a team, we would like for you to join ours." Ryuto said. "Sure." Jay responded quickly. "That quickly?" Ryuto asked surprised. "Yeah. You still a fifth member, right?" Jay asked. "Yeah, but I don't know who." Ryuto said. "Oh, it seems you already have a fifth member." Jay said looking up.

Ryuto turned back to see a dark haired boy talking to Cisco. Ryuto did not know who it was.

"I guess we do." Ryuto said.

The five teammates got together and introduced each other.

"I'm Ryuto Rishihara."

"I'm Cisco Ramon."

"I'm Taiga Kagami."

"I'm Jay Garrick."

"I'm Ronnie Raymond." the dark haired boy said in a quiet tone.

"Nice to meet you Ronnie. Now for positions: I'll play small forward, Taiga will play power forward, Cisco will play point guard, Ronnie will play shooting guard, and Jay will play center. Does that work for everyone?" Ryuto said.

Everyone nodded in response.

"Ok, let's win." Ryuto said.

After the teams were made, Coach Wells set up the games. Ryuto was against a team with people he did not recognize.

"The first game will be team one versus team three. Come to the court now." Wells announced.

The two teams walked onto the court, and Ryuto looked over their opponents. They had two who stood out rather quickly. One boy had a sly smile on his face and had salt and pepper colored hair with icy blue eyes, while the other seemed like he would run someone over without a second thought, he had short brown hair and fiery brown eyes. The other three boys seemed to be afraid to be around them. Ryuto looked towards his teammates, they all seemed ready to play. The two teams then set up for the jump ball, with Jay jumping since he was taller. For the opponent the player jumping was the brown eyed boy.

"Let's have a good game." Jay said to him extending his hand. "Sure thing, just don't get injured." the boy said.

Jay gave a nervous smile while retracting his hand. Coach Wells then set up to toss the ball and everyone got into position.

"Remember you have five minutes. All the rules of a normal game apply." Wells said.

The two doing the jump ball nodded and Coach Wells through the ball into the air. Jay and the other boy jumped, but the other boy made it to the ball first. He slapped the ball towards the blue eyed boy. He grabbed the ball and commanded his teammates to set up for offense.

"Come on guys, defense! Pick a player and guard him!" Ryuto called out.

Ryuto set up against the point guard, he watched him as he dribbled. Ryuto sized up his opponent, there was not much that called to his attention. The boy stopped dribbling and passed the ball to another. The boy then cut towards the basket, and Ryuto followed. The boy then stopped in his tracks and moved backwards. The boy then got the ball and set up for a shot. Ryuto jumped to block it, but it was a fake. The boy ducked under Ryuto and drove towards the basket. Jay moved in to defend, but the boy passed to the fiery eyes boy. Jay turned back to block him, but he had scored a lay up. Jay silently cursed before going to offense.

"That guy is good." Kagami said. "Yeah, he knows how to play. We'll have to watch out for him." Ryuto said.

Kagami then inbounded the ball to Cisco and the team set up for offense. Cisco did a quick survey of the opponents, they guarded closely everyone except Ronnie. Cisco passed the ball to Ronnie in one quick motion. Ronnie held out his hands to catch the ball, but the ball bounced off his hands and rolled out of bounds.

"Sorry." Ronnie said. "It doesn't matter. Catch it next time." Ryuto said.

"Cisco." Ryuto called out. "Yeah?" Cisco responded. "I'm going to try and get away from my mark. From the looks of things they know Ronnie's our weakest player." Ryuto said.

Cisco nodded and the two set up for defense. The other team scored again, thanks to the main two boys from the team. They had incredible coordination, it was as if it was second nature to them. On offense, the opponents used the same strategy: guard everyone closely except Ronnie. Ryuto cut towards the basket to break away form his mark, but he managed to keep up. Ryuto cut back out and caught the pass from Cisco. Ryuto squared up to the basket, while his opponent stood ready to defend.

"I saw you're move against Queen, interesting stuff." the boy said. "So you do speak." Ryuto said. "Funny. I also know that that brown haired kid sucks at basketball, can't even catch a ball." the boy said. "What makes you say that, he only fumbled one ball?" Ryuto asked. "I was in his group during the first day, he can't shoot or dribble, almost makes me feel bad for him." the boy said. "Does it matter, he clearly loves basketball." Ryuto said. "Even if you love a sport you still need to be good at it." the boy said.

Stopping their conversation there, Ryuto did a crossover to his right then back to his left and broke past his mark. He was going up for a lay up when the other boy jumped and blocked him, but he slapped his hand in the process. The blue eyes boy picked up the ball and dribbled down the court. Kagami moved to defend, but the boy did a crossover which caused Kagami to stop in his tracks, as if he was frozen in place. The boy moved past him and scored a lay up unguarded. The game 6-0.

"Why couldn't I move?" Kagami asked in disbelief. "Not sure, I've never seen something like that." Jay said. "That block should've been a foul." Ryuto said. "Yeah, I saw him slap your hand." Cisco agreed. "We have to keep going. Give me the inbound, I'll score a three." Ryuto said.

The other boys nodded and set up for offense. Ryuto got the inbound, and dribbled down the court. He stood in front of the three point line as he watched his mark stay behind it. Ryuto then stopped his dribbled and motioned to pass to Kagami. His mark fell for it and moved to intercept it. Ryuto then set up for a shot and released, scoring a three. The score was now 6-3. As Ryuto's team moved to defense, the blue eyes boy stood watching him.

"What are you thinking, Snart?" the fiery eyed boy asked. "The grey-haired kid is interesting. He did a simple fake and I fell for it." the boy, now named Snart, said. "Want me to rough him up a little?" the fiery eyed boy asked. "No need Mick, it's a simple practice game." Snart said.

The boy, now called Mick, let out a low growl, before setting up for offense. Snart dribbled the ball slowly, watching as his teammates moved around the courts. He saw, one player break away from his mark and sent a quick pass towards him. The boy caught the ball and set for a jump shot. As he released, he was blocked by Jay. Cisco recovered the ball and threw it down the court, where Kagami was waiting. He caught the ball and drove towards the basket. He scored a solo lay up. With the score being 6-5, Ryuto rallied his teammates to take the lead.

"Come on guys, one more basket and we're in the lead!"

"Yeah!" his teammates said in unison.

As soon as they set for defense, Snart released the ball and scored a three pointer. Ryuto's team watched in disbelief, with eyes wide and mouths hung open. Ryuto turned to Snart, he had a sly smile on face.

"You shouldn't have let your guard down." Snart said coldly.

"Damn, I didn't even noticed they inbounded the ball." Jay cursed. "The score is 9-5 and there's two minutes and a half left." Cisco said.

Ryuto looked towards the scoreboard, and that was exactly right: 9-5 with two and a half minutes left.

"We need to score now," Ryuto said, "I have a play, but Ronnie you need to catch the ball."

Ronnie gave a nervous nod and Ryuto's plan was put into place. Cisco received the inbound, and dribbled towards the three point line. He saw out of the corner of his eye, that Ronnie was loosely guarded. Cisco took a deep breath and passed it towards Ronnie. To his surprise, Ronnie caught the ball. He squared up towards the basket and saw Jay break away from his mark. He bounce passed the ball to Jay, who caught it and passed it back to Cisco. Cisco then saw Kagami cutting towards the basket. He passed to Kagami, who passed it to Ryuto. Ryuto squared up for a shot, but Snart jumped to block. Ryuto then dribbled past Snart and scored a lay up. When Ryuto landed, he wiped the sweat from his forehead and jogged with his team to defense.

"Looks like your plan work." Cisco said excitedly. "Only because Ronnie caught the ball. Good job, Ronnie." Ryuto said smiling. "Thanks, I surprise myself sometimes." Ronnie said. "We have to score one more time to tie it, though." Kagami said. "We have to stop these guys now on defense." Ryuto said.

They set up for offense and watched as Snart dribbled the ball. The whole team was out side the three point line, including Mick. Snart then passed the ball to Mick, and he caught the ball and it seemed like he was going to squish it in his hands. Jay moved closer so he could close out both the shot and a drive, but to his surprise Mick began to dribbled. His dribbles were loud each time the ball hit the ground, it seemed to shake. Jay backed away a bit, but this proved to be a mistake. Mick then drove towards the basket, dead set on a lay up. However, Jay was in his path. Jay got into a position to take a charge, and Mick rammed right into him. Jay fell to the ground hard, but Mick simply tossed the ball towards the basket as he fell. The ball bounced off the rim and into the basket. As soon as the ball touched the ground, a whistle was heard .

"Defensive foul." Wells called out.

"Wait, Coach that was obviously a charge." Ryuto tried to argue. "I'm calling it as I saw it. The basket counts and he gets one free throw." Wells said.

Ryuto turned to Jay, who was being helped up by Cisco. He rubbed his back, but he did not seem to be injured. Ryuto let out a sigh of relief.

"That should've been a charge." Ryuto said. "As did I, but I guess I moved at the last second." Jay said. "No, Ryuto's right. It's impossible to see it any other way." Cisco said. "Well we can't argue with the coach about it now. Let's just set up for the free throw." Ryuto said.

Ryuto, Jay, Cisco, and Kagami set up for the free throw, and were surprised when none from Snarts team were there to get the rebound. Mick was given the ball, he dribbled in front of himself a few times then squared up. Mick released the ball, it bounced off the rim and Kagami was there to catch it. Mick simply jogged to defense.

"That was odd." Kagami said raising an eyebrow.

The other four nodded in agreement.

On their offense, Ryuto was given the ball quickly. He watched as Snart closed the gap between them, closing out a drive or a shot. Ryuto then did a crossover to his right then back to his left, which gave him the opening to move past Snart. He drove towards the basket, but Mick was there to defend him. Ryuto then stopped his advance and passed to Jay, who scored a lay up. Ryuto looked towards the scoreboard, it was 11-7 with one minute and forty seconds. Ryuto wiped the sweat off his forehead and jogged to defense.

"These guys don't stop pressuring us." Kagami said in between pants. "We'll just have to keep up the fast paced play." Cisco said panting. "We just got to hold the line of defense." Ryuto said. "How? They blow right past us." Ronnie said. "I don't know, we'll figure something out." Ryuto said.

"There's still a lot of time left." Mick grumbled. "I know. We'll hold on to the ball until there's ten seconds left on the shot clock." Snart said.

Snart dribbled the ball slowly down the court, almost at a walking pace. Ryuto watched him closely. He had to watch out for his paralyzing dribble. Ryuto's eyes widened for a moment remembering the dribbled.

 _Can he do it in quick succession? Can he freeze me then another right after?_ Ryuto thought.

He then waved the thoughts out of his head, he had to focus on right now. As Snart continued to dribble, Ryuto began to wonder what he was up to. He could out of the corner of his eye that none of his teammates were moving. Ryuto then caught a glimpse of the scoreboard and the shot clock.

 _Crap, he gonna run the shot clock as well as the game time. I need to go after the ball_ Ryuto thought.

He then jabbed his hand towards the ball. Snart smiled and did a crossover. Ryuto felt his feet freeze to the floor and stumble forwards. Jay the moved to stop him, but he did another crossover causing Jay to remain in place. Snart then scored a lay up. Ryuto then got up slowly. He looked towards the scoreboard, they were behind six points and there was only a minute left. Snart's team was unstoppable on offense, they could break through defenses easily. Their only hope was score three pointers now. Cisco caught the inbound, but as he dribbled he had a defeated look on his face.

"Looks like they're done. We can loosen the pressure." Snart said to his team.

Ryuto called out for a pass, which was sent to him. Snart made no effort to close the gap between them.

"Defeated already? Can't blame you. In 40 seconds you aren't going to make enough points or stop our offense." Snart said.

Ryuto did not respond. He squared up to the basket and set up for a shot. Snart simply held his hand up, he made no effort to block it. Ryuto released the ball and scored a three.

"Well then, one more of those and you tie the game." Snart said looking towards the basket. "We will win." Ryuto said quietly. "Did you say something? I couldn't hear you." Snart asked in a sarcastic tone. "We will win." Ryuto said louder as he jogged away from him.

"Do you want me to do something?" Mick asked. "No need. This game's over." Snart said.

Snart received the inbound and dribbled the ball down the court. He was caught off guard when Ryuto blasted past him, stealing the ball away from him.

 _What the fuck was that?_ Snart asked.

He looked back to see Ryuto scoring a three tying the game. Snart looked towards the grey haired boy, his eyes were covered by his hair, but Snart saw a spark in his eyes. Soon after a whistle was heard. Everyone looked towards Coach Wells as his whistle fell from his mouth.

"Alright, that's enough Leonard's team wins." Wells announced.

"Wait we still have time." Kagami argued. "That may be true, but look at Ryuto." Wells said pointing to him.

Ryuto struggled to stay standing. He legs were wobbly, and his body ached. He panted heavily, clutching his shirt.

"Oh crap, Ryuto!" Cisco called out.

As Ryuto was about to fall, Kagami was there to catch him. His teammates ran over to him seeing if he was okay.

"Take him to the nurse. She should still be there at this hour. Before you, or he, get any ideas, you're out of the tournament. But still eligible to make the team." Wells said. "Thank you." the four said in unison.

Kagami put Ryuto on his back and piggybacked him, and began to walk. The other three walked alongside him and exited the gym. Coach Wells walked over to Coach Stein and the two nodded at each other.

"You saw it too right?" Stein asked in a hushed tone. "The spark? Yes, I did." Wells answered in the same tone. "Could he have unlocked it so young?" Stein asked. "I don't know. We'll have to keep a close watch on him." Wells said.

The two men nodded again and turned back to the group of boys.

"Next two teams, please step forwards!" Wells called out.

In the infirmary, Ryuto let out a loud groan. He opened his eyes, everything was blurry. He scratched his eye's trying to clear his vision. When his vision cleared, he saw Kagami, Ronnie, Jay, and Cisco all watching him. Ryuto let out a surprised yelp and backed away from the four of them.

"Thank God! We thought we lost you!" Cisco said. "He was never going to die Cisco." Jay said. "Well the nurse said something that seemed like he was going to die." Cisco said. "Not helping." Jay said.

"Hey, you okay?" Ronnie asked. "Yeah, just light headed." Ryuto said touching his forehead. "Also a massive headache."

"That's normal." a voice said.

Soon the nurse walked to where Ryuto was.

"You passed out from exhaustion. You should be fine, nothing too serious happened." the nurse said handing him an ice pack.

Ryuto placed the ice pack on his forehead. He felt the cold wash over him, it felt nice.

"I called your parents, they should be here soon." the nurse said walking back to her desk. "Thanks." Ryuto said.

"What happened there man? You all of a sudden sprinted down the court and scored a three." Cisco asked. "I did?" Ryuto asked. "Wait, what's the last thing you remember?" Jay asked. "Snart said something about loosening the pressure, and after that it's all a blank." Ryuto said. "Seriously?" Kagami asked. "Yeah, seriously." Ryuto said. "Dang, do you have amnesia or something?" Ronnie asked. "I don't think so." Ryuto said. "Either way, you gave us a scare." Jay said.

There were collective nods between the four of them. Ryuto let out a laugh and placed his hand behind his head.

"Sorry about that." Ryuto said.

Then the sound of a door swinging open was heard, everyone looked back while Ryuto sighed.

"Where's Ryuto?" a voice asked in Japanese. "I'm over here Mom." Ryuto called out.

His mother then enter the room and swung her arms around her son.

"I'm so glad you're okay. When I heard you had passed out, I didn't know what to think." his mother said. "Mom, you're embarrassing me." Ryuto said. "Sorry," his mother said separating from her son, "thank you for helping my son, Taiga." "No problem." Kagami said with a slight bow.

"Does anyone know what they're saying?" Ronnie asked. "I think she was thanking Taiga. 'Arigato' means 'thank you,' I think." Cisco said. "That is correct. Though a lot of people know those phrases." Ryuto's mother said in English. "Sorry." Cisco said. "No need to apologize." Ryuto's mother said with a smile.

"Guys meet my mom, Rikai(Ree-kai)." Ryuto said as he sat up on the bed. "Nice to meet you." everyone, minus Kagami, said in unison. "It's always a pleasure to meet Ryuto's friends." Rikai said.

"We better be getting home. Your father will have dinner ready soon." Rikai said.

Ryuto nodded and slid off the bed. He went for his bag, but his mother took it for him.

"See you guys tomorrow." Ryuto said. "Yeah, you just get better." Cisco said. "The same goes for all of us." Jay said. "Thanks guys." Ryuto said with a smile.

"You have good friends." Rikai said to her son.

"Taiga what did she say?" Ronnie asked. "She said it too low, I couldn't catch it." Kagami said.

Meanwhile at the gym office, Coach Well, Coach Stein, and Clark were all sitting around a table looking over everyone's stats. Clark read through them and wondered who made them, because he was sure neither Coach Wells or Coach Stein had the time for this.

"These sheets are amazingly detailed. Did you make them Harrison?" Stein asked. "No, our analyst did." Wells said with a smile. "We have an analyst?" Clark asked raising an eyebrow. "Yes. You can come in Miss Smoak." Wells called out.

The door to the office opened and in walked a blonde haired girl with blue eyes. She wore her hair up in a pony tail and pink framed glasses adorned her face. She had a wide smile

"Everyone meet the teams analyst: Felicity Smoak." Wells said. "Good evening, Miss Smoak." Stein said. "Yeah, hi. What grade are you in?" Clark asked. "I'm in sixth grade, though people say I should be in a higher grade because of high grades. I don't want to move though because all my friends are where I am now. I'm just rambling at this point." Felicity answered. "Right." Clark said.

"Let's get straight to the point, Miss Smoak, would you mind explaining this data?" Stein asked. "Sure. Each sheet hold the stats of each player I observed during the try outs. Starting from least promising to most. Each shows how they'll improve throughout the year, based on the current training method." Felicity explained. "I see." Clark said. "With these, you should be able to determine who should join the team." Felicity said.

"Then we should get to deciding." Stein said. "I can say without a doubt, this years sixth graders are the most promising. If we chose them now, we'll have a strong team as the years go by." Wells said. "I have the note pad to write names down." Clark said.

"We are defiantly taking Ryuto Rishihara." Wells said. "Of course. A player like him will only grow stronger. He might surpass you Mister Kent." Stein said. "That's good. I want people to surpass me." Clark said. "He's a natural leader. His teammates followed his directions without question and his skills speak for themselves." Wells added. "Well based on my stats, by eight grade he'll be unstoppable." Felicity said.

"Who else?" Clark asked writing Ryuto's name.

Paper were shuffled around looking for the next player.

"Oliver Queen." Wells said.

Clark made some kind of disgusted face, while Stein let out a sigh.

"I know he doesn't have the best attitude, but he does have the skills." Wells said. "If it weren't for those skills, I wouldn't even consider him." Stein added. "He doesn't miss jump shots, despite that release of his." Clark said. "Plus, he seemed to go through some kind of change when he plays in an actual game. He's more analytical and focused." Wells said. "I did notice that as well." Stein said. "He also has room to grow, but by eighth grade he'll be stronger." Felcity added.

"Who else?" Clark said writing Oliver's name down.

Once again papers were shuffled around.

"How about the pair: Leonard Snart and Mick Rory?" Stein said. "They have good teamwork with each other, but with no one else." Clark said. "They play for themselves and if they have to they'll play with the team. Mick's aggressive, but Snart is there to keep him in check." Wells added. "But their skills speak volumes for them." Stein said. "They need work in terms of teamwork, but they're strong." Felicty added.

"Who else?" Clark said.

Papers were shuffled looking for the next player.

"John Diggle. Oliver's handler, if you will." Stein said. "He's an average player, but he keeps Oliver in check both on and off the court." Wells said.

"I'll write him down. Who else?" Clark said.

"Cisco Ramon." Wells said. "With training, he could be an excellent point guard. He's a natural at the sport." Stein said. "He still developing his abilites, he quick to analyze his opponents and their movements." Felicity added.

"What sixth grader is next?" Clark asked.

"Taiga Kagami, the other Japanese boy." Wells said. "His jumping ability is his asset. If he improves on that, he'll dominate thanks to how aggressive he is." Stein added. "That development will hurt his legs though." Felicity said. "It'll be a risk if he over exerts himself." Stein said. "However, Ryuto seems to know him and his limits, so having those two together will help." Wells said.

"Is that it for the sixth graders?" Clark asked.

"I believe so. Let's move on." Wells said. "Actually, there is one more who I would like to add to that list." Stein said. "Are you sure Martin? Last time you tried this it didn't work." Wells cautioned. "I'm sure with him it will work." Stein said with determination. "Fine, who is he." Wells said. "Ronald Raymond." Stein said.

Clark let out a choked cough while Coach Wells went wide eyed.

"Are you sure? He can barely dribble a basketball, much less shoot." Wells said. "I know he seems hopeless, but just give him a shot." Stein pleaded.

Coach Wells removed his glasses and pinched the bridge of his nose. He let out a sigh as he put his glasses back on his face.

"Fine. On one condition: if your gamble doesn't pay off, if he tries out next season he won't make the team." Wells said. "I'll take that bargain." Stein said. "Write his name down Clark." Wells said.

Felicity began to speak, but was cut off by Coach Stein.

"I know Miss Smoak. I know I'm taking a risk." Stein said. "Anyways. Let's move on. We already have eight players." Wells said. "We already have 12 with those eight, including the four that were pre-decided." Clark said. "Remind me who we have returning." Wells said. "Me, Rip, Jay, and Hartley Rathaway." Clark said. "In the long run, it'll be better to have all those sixth graders." Stein said. "Clark, what do you think?" Wells asked. "I mean, I think having the sixth graders will continue the program rather than having a bunch of seventh and eighth graders." Clark said.

The office remained silent for a moment. Everyone was pensive about the subject.

"Have we reached a decision?" Wells asked. "I think so." Stein said. "I'll leave the decision to you guys." Clark said.

The next day, there was a commotion between Ryuto, Cisco, Jay, Kagami, and Ronnie at the lunch table. They were all wondering whether they made the team or not. Cisco said he was confident Ryuto made the team. Ryuto tired to play it off, but he was happy that his friends thought he was that good.

"I'm pretty sure I didn't make the team." Ronnie said. "Dude, you don't know that." Cisco said trying to comfort his friend. "We won't know until later today." Kagami said taking a bite out his sandwich.

Ryuto remained quiet and listened to his friends talk. He was more worried that he passed out during the game. He was broken from his thoughts when he felt Caitlin place her hand on his. Ryuto looked up to see Caitlin's worried face.

"You're quite. That never happens." Caitlin said removing her hand from his. "Just thinking. I passed out yesterday." Ryuto said picking at his food. "You did?" Caitlin asked in surprise. "Yep, I don't even know how it happened. The nurse called it exhaustion." Ryuto explained.

Caitlin then jumped forward and put her hand on Ryuto's forehead. Ryuto felt his face turn bright red.

"Uh, what are you doing?" Ryuto asked. "Checking to see if you have a fever. My mom's a doctor, she's taught me things." Caitlin answered. "Caitlin, I'm fine. Honest." Ryuto said. "Just wanted to make sure." Caitlin said with a smile.

She then returned to sit on her chair. She noticed how Ryuto's face was still red.

"Are you sure you don't have a fever? Your face is red." Caitlin said. "Yep, 100% sure." Ryuto said with a nervous laugh.

Soon after, the bell rang. Ryuto stood up to throw his food in the trash, when he heard someone call out to Caitlin. He turned back to see a long brown haired girl with green eyes.

"Come on Cait, we got English." the girl said. "Coming, Cade." Caitlin said.

The girl, now called Cade, continued to walk causing her to bump into Ryuto.

"Oh, sorry I didn't see you there." Cade said looking up to Ryuto. "Woah, you're the grey haired kid that people've been talking about."

"Is that the only thing people know about me?" Ryuto asked aloud. "I didn't know, he was sensitive about it." Cade whispered to Caitlin. "Yeah he is, don't let him bother you." Caitlin replied with a smile.

"See you after school Caitlin. It was nice meeting you Cade." Ryuto said with a wave. "Full name's Cadence." Cadence called out. "See you later, Ryuto." Caitlin called out as well. "So tell me everything about you and him." Cadence said. "What are you talking about?" Caitlin said.

Ryuto watched the clock in his last period, he wanted the bell to ring so badly. He wanted to see if had made the team. He had Cisco in his current class and the two would would occasionally exchange glances. When the bell rang, the two boys stood up from their seats and darted out the room. They me up with Kagami, Ronnie, and Jay in front of the bathroom. The five then began to walk to the office, and when they arrived there was a large group of boys all looking at the roster.

"Let's wait a moment." Ryuto said. "Why?" Kagami asked.

Ryuto pointed in front of them and saw Oliver walking down the hallway.

"Let's let the Queen go first. He'll open up the crowd." Ryuto said. "That's true." Cisco replied.

True to Ryuto's word, the crowd of boys opened when Oliver arrived. He walked up to the roster and looked through the names.

"Looks like I made the team, not that I'm surprised. You made the team too Dig." Oliver said.

John said nothing, he simply nodded.

"Though, I see a lot scrubs on this roster. Can't imagine any reason they should be on the team." Oliver said.

He then walked away from the roster and the amount of people looking diminished.

"Goddamn, he's a dick." Kagami said. "Let's check out the roster." Jay encouraged.

Everyone nodded and the five walked up to the roster. Kagami went up first, he ran his finger over the paper looking for his name. He then pointed at it and smiled.

"I made it. Yeah!" Kagami yelled. "Nice, Taiga." Cisco said happily. "You did great during the tryouts." Jay said. "I guess I'll go next." Cisco said.

He did the same as Kagami, he ran his finger across the paper. He stopped and turned back to the group, he had a huge smile.

"I'm on the team!" Cisco exclaimed. "You deserve it, man." Ryuto said. "Definitely." Kagami added.

"Your turn, Jay." Cisco said. "I already know I made the team." Jay said. "How? Did you read the roster while Cisco was looking?" Ronnie asked. "Nope, I'm one of the four who was already guaranteed a spot." Jay explained. "Seriously?" the four boys said in unison. "Yep. I didn't tell you 'cause I thought it would hurt you guys's pride or something. Sorry." Jay said. "No need, we're all happy for you." Ryuto said.

The other three boys nodded.

"Thanks guys." Jay said.

"My turn then." Ryuto said.

He looked through the paper, when he found his name a smile formed on his face.

"I made it, I'm on the team." Ryuto said happily.

His friends all had smiles on their faces.

"Not that any of us are surprised." Kagami said with a snicker. "Whatever." Ryuto said with a laugh.

"Your turn Ronnie." Cisco said.

Ronnie nodded and nervously walked up to the roster. He took a deep breath and released it and looked at the roster. When Ronnie saw his name, it felt like he just had a heart attack. He could feel the tears forming in his eyes, but wiped them away before turning to the others.

"Did you not make it?" Ryuto asked softly. "Nope, I made the team." Ronnie said with a crying smile.

Everyone then formed a hug around Ronnie, congratulating their friend.

"Come on guys let's celebrate. Let's go to my house." Ryuto said. "I'm always up for a party." Cisco said.

The boys laughed as the walked out of the school. Ryuto looked up into the sky and smiled, it was going to be a good season.

 **AN: Here comes to a close chapter 2. Ryuto's origin story is gonna take three chapters, I think. I hope you enjoyed this one, I enjoyed writing Ryuto's origin. Since I now have Internet, I will try to update again soon.**

 **The character of Cadence belongs to DarkElements10. She's from her own Flash stories, and if you have the time check them out. In my opinion, they're one of the best stories I've read here. She'll be popping up every so often, so I'd like to thanks DarkElements10 for letting me use her.**

 **I hope you enjoyed this chapter and stay tuned for the next one. Remember to follow, favorite, and/or review if you haven't already.**


	3. Chapter 3

**AN: Here is chapter three and part two of Ryuto's origin. Hope you enjoy this chapter and sorry in advance for the slowness of updates. Remember I do NOT own KnB or Flash, I only own my character and the plot.**

Chapter 3

Origin Story Part Two

Ryuto was in the locker room putting on the uniform. The uniform was red with yellow in certain areas around the neck, arm pits, around of the base of the jersey, and three stripes running down the sides of the jersey as well as the side of the pants. Ryuto was number 8, it was written on the front and the back of his jersey in yellow. He closed the locker and let out a breath, it was his first game and he was nervous. He looked to the side and saw Kagami putting on the jersey, he wore number 9. Cisco was on the bench tying his shoes, he wore the number 7. Ronnie was sitting down and was rapidly tapping his foot and taking deep breaths, he wore the number 10. Ryuto sat next to his friend and placed his hand on his shoulder.

"You nervous?"

Ronnie nodded, but his foot slowed down.

"Don't worry, I'm sure everyone is." Ryuto said smiling.

"Come guys, time to warm up." Jay said.

Ryuto noticed he looked comfortable in the uniform. He wore the number 3 and he seemed to wear it with pride.

The four friends followed their senior to where the other players were waiting. Clark turned to everyone in order to address the team. He wore the captain reserved number: number 4.

"Alright everyone, this is our first game as well as first home game. Make this school proud and be proud to be wearing those jerseys."

"Yeah!" the team said in unison.

The team then walked onto the court to the cheers of many. Ryuto looked around and there was a decent crowd of students, faculty, and parents. The team then gathered on the court and began to do warm ups. They would alternate between jump shots and lay ups. Ryuto looked at the other players of the team; Oliver wore the number 5, John wore number 6, Snart wore number 11, Mick wore number 12, Rip wore number 1, and Hartley wore number 2. Ryuto grabbed a ball and shot a jump shot. He warmed up with simple maneuvers; layups and jump shots. After a few minutes, the referee blew his whistle and both teams went to their benches. Everyone sat down on the bench and Coach Wells kneeled in front of them. He gave glances to all the players. He then wrote down something on his clipboard. He then cleared his throat and stood up.

"These are going to be the starters: Clark at point guard, Rip at power forward, Hartley at shooting guard, Jay at center, and Ryuto at small forward."

Ryuto's head shot up and his eyes widened un surprise.

"Me?" Ryuto asked pointing at himself. "Yeah dude, stand up." Jay said with a smile.

Ryuto nodded and stood up. The five players gathered around Coach Wells, he used a marker to write down the positions where each would stand.

"Ok guys, run plays that are simple since we haven't gone over the more advanced ones. These guys have fundamentals down, only that. Hit 'em hard from the beginning." Wells said.

Four of the boys gave a confident nod, Ryuto gave a nervous nod. The five then walked onto the court and received a loud cheer from the stands. Ryuto looked towards them, he saw his father and brother cheering him on. He continued to look around and saw Caitlin give him a thumbs up. He smiled and confidence grew into him. Ryuto then felt a hand placed on his shoulder, he looked up to see Jay smiling at him.

"Nervous?" Jay asked. "A bit. I've never started before." Ryuto answered. "Happens to everyone. Even Clark gets nervous, especially during home games." Jay said. "I don't see that." Ryuto said with a laugh. "Don't worry, you'll do fine." Jay said.

"You two gonna keep talking or are you gonna play?" Hartley asked with a scowl on his face. "Coming." Jay said.

Ryuto took a deep breath and walked to the center of the court. The other team introduced to themselves with handshakes as they set up for the jump ball. Jay moved to then center of the circle while the other four moved to the outside of circle. Next to Ryuto stood a tall boy, he seemed to be somewhat muscular. The boy looked down at Ryuto and raised an eye brow.

"So a scared sixth grader is gonna play against me?" the boy asked rhetorically.

Ryuto did not answer he simply turned his attention to Jay, who was ready to jump. The referee positioned himself between the two boys and tossed the ball into the air. Jay reached to the ball first and slapped it to Clark. Ryuto quickly darted towards the basket and Clark passed it to him. Ryuto caught the ball and squared up to the basket, and the boy that looked down on him was in front of him.

"You're a quick one." the boy said. "Based on your size and speed, you're probably a small forward too. However, I'm faster." Ryuto said.

He then crossed over to his right and back to his left getting away from his opponent. The boy turned back and saw Ryuto scoring a lay up. Ryuto landed and stared at the ball for a moment. _I'm still not fast enough_ Ryuto thought. He then tightened his fist and jogged to defense.

 _Interesting_ Wells thought as he wrote down something on the clipboard. What he wrote read: low presence.

As the game continued, Central City Middle School dominated the court. No one seemed to be able to stop Ryuto's crossover; which was now being officially called the Lightning Crossover. Throughout the game Coach Wells made substitutions and played some of the other players on the bench. The game ended with Central City Middle School's victory. In the locker room, Ryuto's friends congratulated him on how well he played. As Ryuto changed out of his uniform, when Clark called him over. Ryuto looked at Cisco, who shrugged in response. Ryuto took a deep breath and walked towards Clark.

"You called me, Captain?" Ryuto said. "No need for 'Captain,' that's only on the court." Clark said taking off a shoe. "You played well today. You defiantly proved yourself."

"Thank you." Ryuto said with a slight bow. "Why did you bow?" Clark asked raising an eyebrow. "Sorry, it's a cultural thing." Ryuto said. "I see." Clark said. "Keep up the good work."

Ryuto nodded and walked back over to his locker. He walked back with a smile. Ryuto closed his locker and walked out of the locker room. He swung his bag around his shoulder and walked to the schools parking lot, where his parents were waiting.

"What did Clark say?" a voice called out.

Ryuto looked back to see Cisco jogging towards him.

"That I did well today." Ryuto said with a smile.

"You did do good." a voice said in a British accent.

Rip walked up to the two boys with his hands in his pockets. He then ran and hand through his hair.

"Thanks." Ryuto said. "You seemed to be in very good control of your abilites, but I did notice how you seem unsatisfied with your crossover." Rip said.

He raised an eyebrow when he only saw Cisco in front of him.

"Where did you go?" Rip asked looking around. "I'm right in front of you." Ryuto said. "Huh, interesting." Rip said. "What are you talking about?" Ryuto asked raising an eyebrow. "You seem to have a different type of low presence." Rip said. "Low presence?" Cisco asked. "It's something that it's hard to see someone, for certain reasons." Rip explained. "I'm hard to see?" Ryuto asked in slight disbelief. "In a way." Rip answered. "I don't understand." Ryuto said. "Your crossover is a way you use your low presence. The opponent focused on the ball and it seems like you disappear from right in front of them. It has nothing to do with speed." Rip explained.

Ryuto placed his hand on his chin, thinking about what Rip had explained.

"I'll let you think about that. See ya." Rip said waving his hand as he walked away.

"Dude, you have a sick ability!" Cisco exclaimed. "But I don't have control over it. It happens at random." Ryuto said. "It never happens around us." Cisco said. "It's probably 'cause your used to my presence." Ryuto said with a shrug. "Maybe." Cisco said.

During the next day's practice, Ryuto was taking a break after the more physical portion of the practice. He took a sip of his water and looked around the court. He saw Coach Wells talking with a blonde girl. Ryuto rose and eyebrow, wondering who the girl was. He decided to walked over to them, partly to ask Coach Wells about his low presence.

"Excuse me." Ryuto said.

Coach Wells turned to Ryuto, while the girls eyes darted around the area.

"Who said that?" the girl asked. "I'm right in front of you." Ryuto said with an annoyed tone. "Woah, I didn't see you there." the girl said adjusting. "So you're the grey haired kid."

Ryuto rolled his eyes at the comment.

"Coach Wells, can I talk to you for a moment?" Ryuto asked. "Of course. Ms. Smoak, I'll leave you to gathering data." Wells said.

Felicity nodded and said goodbye to both Ryuto and Coach Wells.

"What did you want to talk about, Ryuto?" Wells asked. "What is low presence?" Ryuto asked. "So you've noticed." Wells said in a low voice. "I've never really noticed it until Rip pointed it out." Ryuto said. "Well, your low presence is different. Normally it means that someone does not stand out, but you do. Your low presence is like an on and off switch, that you can't control." Wells explained. "How can I control it?" Ryuto asked. "I can teach you. You can add it to that crossover of yours, plus your speed, you'll have an unstoppable attack." Wells said. "Thank you, Coach Wells." Ryuto said. "After practice today, we'll work on it." Wells said.

Ryuto nodded and returned to practice, they were about to start going over plays. The team finished going over plays in the evening, the sky was a bright orange color. Coach Wells walked towards Ryuto and gave him a basketball.

"Let's get to work." Wells said.

Ryuto responded with a nod and stood up. Coach Wells positioned him at the three point line and he stood in front of him in a defensive stance. Ryuto began to dribbled the ball, he did a crossover to his right and back to his left. He passed by the coach with ease, he did not even move. Coach Wells turned back to the boy he placed his hand on his chin, he had a pensive look on his face.

"Did I do something wrong?" Ryuto asked. "No, everything went smoothly. I just saw everything you did. You have to learn to control your low presence. Make it your on and off switch." Wells explained. "How do I do that?" Ryuto asked. "Try to do it throughout the school day. Pick and choose when you want to disappear. It can't be a subconscious thing." Wells answered. "Is that all we're going to do?" Ryuto asked. "Until you learn control, there's not a lot that I can teach you. I'm sorry." Wells said walking away.

Ryuto let out a sigh. He dropped the basketball he was holding and walked to his bag. He swung his bag on his shoulder and exited the gym. He check his phone, he had a few messages from his mother as well as missed calls. Most of the messages read the same: "Where are you?" He sent her a short message and continued to walk.

"You know, it is interesting to play along side someone like you." a voice said.

Ryuto looked back to see Clark resting against a wall. He wore a simple red t-shirt and jeans. Ryuto placed his hand behind his head and let out a nervous laugh.

"Is that so?" Ryuto asked. "Yeah. I've never seen someone want to prove himself like you. What is it you're trying to prove?" Clark said. "I don't really know. I just want to play basketball." Ryuto answered with s shrug. "Interesting." Clark said simply. "What would I need to prove?" Ryuto asked. "How should I know? It's something you need to know." Clark answered. "What about you?" Ryuto asked. "Me, well, I want to show that a small town guy can make it in a big city." Clark said with a smile.

Ryuto rose an eyebrow. He did not know a lot about Clark, all he knew was that he was his captain.

"Where are you from Clark?" Ryuto asked. "A small town in Kanas, Smallville." Clark said.

Ryuto rose an eyebrow again. He had heard about the town, but it was such a different from a city.

"Why are you in Central City, if your from there?" Ryuto asked. "Oh, so you've heard of my town." Clark said.

Ryuto answered with a nod.

"Well, I'm here because of my family. They didn't really explain why." Clark said with a nervous laugh. "But after this year, I'm moving back."

They way Clark said that, it was no longer with a playful tone, it was more serious. He only knew Clarks stern captain side. As if reading his thoughts, Clark made a comment.

"I'm sorry for coming off as a stern person, I'm usually not like that." Clark said with a smile.

Ryuto remained silent, he did not know how to answer him.

"You should see whenever Rip is leading, he becomes a real grouch." Clark said laughing.

Ryuto tried to imagine the laid back, British, vice-captain as something other than what he knew. Clark let out a laugh at the face his junior made.

"Sorry, I just can't see Rip in any other way." Ryuto said. "Whenever he's leading you, you'll know." Clark assured.

Ryuto simply nodded at the statement.

"Well, I've kept you here long enough. You should head on home, it's getting late." Clark said.

Ryuto nodded again and walked towards the entrance of the school. Back at the gym, Coach Wells was locking up the gym. He turned to see Clark standing in front of him.

"Did you talk to him?" Wells asked. "Yep." Clark answered crossing his arms. "What do you think?" Wells asked. "He's going to be an interesting play." Clark answered.

During the next day of practice, Ryuto was warming up with Kagami and Cisco, before the coaches arrived. They simply passed the ball around and shot jump shots. Out of the three, Ryuto was the most consistent. Then a whistle sounded throughout the gym. Everyone looked towards the sound and saw Coach Wells and Coach Stein walking towards them.

"For today's physical side of practice, we'll be doing a lot of running." Wells said.

Cisco let out a low groan. Ryuto smiled, he knew that out of everyone he liked exercise the least. Everyone got into position, with balls in hand. Their first drill was suicides(running up and down the court at different distances) while dribbling the ball. Ryuto took a deep breath and waited for the whistle of be blown. When it was, Ryuto darted to the first line. When he finished, he was the first to arrive. He panted slowly, going full speed always tried him out. He looked over to Felicity and Coach Wells, they seemed to writing something down. The practice continued smoothly after the physical portion. After every exercise, Cisco looked like he was going to vomit.

"You okay, Cisco?" Jay would ask nervously.

Cisco would simply hold up his finger and place his hand on his mouth. The four friends would give him nervous smiles. For the second half, the team went over plays. It was like that for most practices, physical one half and plays the second half.

During the school day, Ryuto, Cisco, Jay, Ronnie, Kagami, and Caitlin would always gather during lunch. Sometimes Caitlin's friend Cadence would join them. While the four boys would talk about basketball moves they wanted to try out, Ryuto focused on tying to disappear. Caitlin watched as his friend seemed really focused on the plate of mashed potatoes he had, while also holding in a laugh.

"Are you winning at the staring contest?" Caitling asked holding in a laugh.

Ryuto looked up to see Caitlin's smiling face. He could feel the red rushing to his face, when she looked up. He quickly turned away from her, with his hair covering his eyes.

"I'm, uh, trying to turn invisible." Ryuto said nervously.

He looked up to Caitlin, who's eyes had widened. Ryuto could not tell if it was in disbelief or something else.

"I know it sounds ridiculous. Apparently, I have something called low presence." Ryuto tried to explain. "You're right, that does sound ridiculous." Caitlin said, once again with a hint of laughter.

Ryuto groaned, it was as ridiculous as it sounded.

"But if you could 'disappear,' why would you do it?" Caitlin asked. "It'll help in basketball, or at least Coach seems to think it will." Ryuto said with a shrug. "And how does it work?" Caitlin asked.

Ryuto looked towards, she no longer had laughter in her expression she seemed genuinely curious.

"From what I've been told, it's like an on and off switch. One that I don't have control of. I'm trying to learn control." Ryuto explained. "So your trying to force yourself to disappear?" Caitlin asked.

Ryuto nodded in response.

"Have you tried misdirection?" Caitlin asked. "Misdi-what?" Ryuto replied. "It's when you diverts someone's attention to something else. Magicians do it all the time to do their tricks." Caitlin explained. "That wouldn't work for me. I would have to have the switch on 'on' all the time, but maybe I would incorporate the basis of that to learn control." Ryuto said with a smile. "You're the best Caitlin!"

Ryuto quickly stood up and darted towards the library. At the table, everyone turned to see Ryuto disappear.

"Where'd he go?" Kagami asked. "Not sure." Caitlin answered.

About a month passed when Ryuto was able to control his low presence switch; it was still imperfect though. During the most recent game, Ryuto was practically invisible on the court, no one could stop him. There were times when Ryuto was put in a position of leadership and the team would trust him to do so. He also found out what Clark had meant when he said Rip would become different when he was in charge. He was always trying for everything to go according to plan and would get very frustrated when something did not.

"My nana could follow directions better than you guys." he said once.

After a game like that he would apologize after for his behavior. During that month, all the sixth graders improved their skills. Cisco was becoming a very good point guard and was able to make judgements quickly, almost as if he could see the future. Ronnie slowly improved whenever he talked with Coach Stein, and in games it showed. Oliver still had the same personality off the court, but he had become more calm and collected in a game. Snart and Mick were still the same rough guys they were, but Snarts Freeze Dribble, as was named by Cisco, continued to be potent. Kagami also improved in his jumping ability. In a stationary position, he could almost touch the rim, but with a running start he could hang from it.

"These kids are improving by the day, Harrison." Stein said during a practice. "I know. I wonder just how strong they'll get." Wells responded.

During one game of the regular season, Coach Wells did something unexpected.

"Today we're starting with all sixth graders."

The statement caught many off guard. The most that sixth graders would start would be two.

"Today's line up will be: Ryuto at small forward, Diggle at center, Cisco at point guard, Oliver at shooting guard, and Kagami at power forward. I'll switch in the others as the game goes by, you four deserve rest." Wells said.

"Right!" Everyone called out in unison.

"One last thing, Ryuto is in charge. Follow his directions as if he were the captain." Wells added.

Oliver was about to protest, but John stopped him. The five starters then took to the court and set up for the jump ball. Coach Wells sat down on the bench and looked through the papers on his clipboard. _I believe this is our strongest line up, if Ryuto is leading_ Wells thought. For the jump ball, Diggle was chosen for it. They decided to keep Kagami's jumping skills a secret. As the other team took the court, Ryuto and Kagami noticed a player they recognized. He had black hair that covered his left eye, with matching colored eyes. He also had a mole under his right eyes.

"Tatsuya!" the two boys called out happily. "To think we'd meet on the court." Tatsuya said with a smile. "Yeah, it's cool. Although. I won't hold back." Ryuto said determined. "Same goes for me." Kagami said with equal determination. "Looks like I don't have a choice either." Tatsuya said.

Both teams greeted each other and set up for the start of the game. The referee threw the ball into the air. Diggle and the opposing center jumped for it. Diggle managed to get to the ball first and sent towards Cisco. Cisco caught the ball and dribbled to the three point line. He surveyed the opposition, the boy known as Tatsuya was guarding Ryuto, and guarded him closely. _Looks like that guy knows Ryuto's skills. Better pass the ball around and get someone open_ Cisco thought. He looked out of the corner of his eye and saw Oliver holding out his hands. Cisco moved to pass, but suddenly stopped. His vision flashed to a blue color. He saw himself passing the ball to Oliver, but his defender intercepted it. He could also see Diggle was over powering his defender. Cisco's vision returned to normal as soon as he planted his foot to pass to Oliver. His defender moved to intercept it, but Cisco changed the direction of the pass and sent the ball to Diggle. Diggle caught the ball and passed to Oliver, who had separated form his defender. Oliver set up for a three and scored it effortlessly.

"Nice correction. How did you know that was going to happen?" Oliver asked as he jogged to defense. "Instinct, I guess." Cisco said, even to him the answer seemed unconvincing.

 _What the heck was that just now? Everything flashed blue and I saw the outcome of my initial decision_ Cisco thought. He then felt a pat on his back. Cisco looked back to see Ryuto smiling at him.

"Nice." he said simply.

As the game continued, everyone had a chance to show what they had improved on. Diggle scored layups by overpower the opponents center. Kagami blasted past his defenders with his strength and surprising speed. Oliver continued to score threes with his straight line shot. When it was Ryuto's turn to show off, he was face to face with Tatsuya.

"I gotta give your team credit, they're as good as others say." Tatsuya said. "We trust each other, I think maybe that's why." Ryuto said.

He then started to dribbled at a slower rate. Tatsuya watched closely as he prepared for Ryuto's move. Ryuto then crossed over to his right and back to his left, disappearing from Tatsuya's vision. Tatsuya went wide eyed as he looked back to see Ryuto scoring a solo lay up. His expression changed from surprise to wonder in an instant. _So this is the fabled 'Lightning Crossover'_ Tatsuya thought. _Damn, I' m still too noticeable_ Ryuto thought. As the game continued, Coach Wells switched in other sixth graders. Snart played power forward and would use his Freeze Dribble to stop people in their place. Mick continued to barrel through defenders and only drawing defensive fouls. Everyone was perplexed by this, everyone could see that they were offensive fouls, but the referee would not count them; not even Snart had a proper explanation. During the last two minutes of the game, Central City Middle School was in the lead by a large margin. With the time left, Coach Wells put Ronnie in to play. After a quick talk from Stein, Ronnie walked onto the court with determination.

"Ronnie, you're playing power forward. Attack the basket whenever you find and opening." Ryuto said.

Ronnie nodded and got into position. Cisco passed to Ronnie and he caught it without fumbling it. Ronnie then passed to Oliver. Once he released the ball, he cut to the basket. Oliver sent him a bounce pass and Ronnie scored a lay up. On their way to defense, Ryuto gave Ronnie a thumbs up. Ronnie responded with a smile.

"Looks like your gamble is paying off, Martin." Wells whispered. "He still has a ways to go." Stein said not taking his eye off of Ronnie.

Soon after, the game came to an end and Central City Middle School was victorious. The team cheered, they were moving on to the playoffs and they were undefeated as well. Ryuto and Taiga then walked up to Tatsuya.

"Man, your team is strong." Tatsuya said wiping sweat from his face. "I think it's our team work." Ryuto said. "Perhaps." Tatsuya responded. "Good game, Tatsuya." Kagami said with a smile. "Indeed, but we will win in the playoffs." Tatsuya said.

The two boys nodded and turned away form their friend. Once the team returned to their school, everyone went their separate ways. Clark, meanwhile, walked to the locker room. He looked up to the sky, it was getting darker quicker. _It is winter after all_ Clark thought with a shrug. He walked into the locker room and opened his locker. He took out his bag and closed it. He turned to leave when he saw Rip standing in the door way. Clark jumped back in fright, while also letting out a yelp.

"Don't scare me like that, Rip." Clark said taking a deep breath. "Sorry, didn't mean to." Rip said with a smile. "Is there something you need?" Clark asked. "Actually, yes. I need to tell you something important." Rip said. "What is it?" Clark urged. "It's about my status in the team." Rip replied. "Are you quitting, just as we're entering the playoffs?" Clark asked distressed. "Are you bloody crazy? Of course not." Rip said. "It's about my status as vice-captain."

Clark stayed silent for a moment, he did not know how to respond to what Rip had just told him.

"I've begun to notice that I'm not as respected as I used to be. With that in mind, I'm stepping down as vice captain and I think Ryuto should take my place."

Clark was taken aback by the request. Rip had been at his side since they were in sixth grade. However, in that moment, Clark could tell that was what his friend wanted to do.

"Rip, we've been side by side since sixth grade. Why don't you finish the season as vice-captain?" Clark asked calmly. "You and I both know that Ryuto will be the captain when we leave. So making him vice-captain now is better for him to develop." Rip explained. "I know, but-" Clark began to say before being cut off. "But, nothing. We both know it's the best course of action. I've already talked to Coach Wells about it, he agrees with my decision." Rip said.

Clark remained silent again, he was still processing his friends reasoning. He had already decided to give Ryuto the captain's position for the next season, but he wanted to finish this season with Rip still at his side. Clark weighed the options in his head, convinced on what was the right course of action. He took a deep breath a faced Rip.

"I'll inform Ryuto of his new status tomorrow. We'll make a formal announcement during practice." Clark said monotonously.

Rip nodded and turned to exit the locker room. He took a deep breath and exited. Clark, meanwhile, remained in the locker room. He was still processing his conversation. He felt a single tear escape his eye and drop to the floor. He took a deep breath and exited the locker room. Turing off the lights as he did so. The next day, Ryuto was sitting at the lunch table with his group of friends. They were all discussing how they had made it to the playoffs undefeated. As they talked, Ryuto felt a hand placed on his shoulder. He looked up to see Clark. Clark said nothing, but with his eyes Ryuto could tell he wanted to talk.

"Uh, guys, excuse me for a sec." Ryuto said not facing them.

The four basketball players were surprised when Clark was standing at their lunch table.

"Holy crap! Hey, captain what brings you to our table?" Cisco asked nervously "Smooth." Kagami whispered with a snicker.

"No need for formalities in school, Cisco. I just need to speak to Ryuto for a moment." Clark said.

Ryuto stood up and followed Clark to and empty lunch table. The two boys sat down and Clark let out a breath. Ryuto wondered what Clark wanted to talk to him about; he had never approached him before, much less during lunch. Ryuto swallowed loudly, he was starting to get nervous.

"No need to be nervous. You're not in trouble or anything." Clark said.

Ryuto let out a sigh of relief. "That's good."

"I'm here to tell you some news: as of this moment Rip has stepped down from vice-captain and you have been nominated for the position." Clark said.

Ryuto remained quiet. He did not know how to respond, much less express his emotions about the news. Part of him was happy that he was named that position, so much so he wanted to jump up and down. However, another part of him was not happy. He was taking a position of someone who was a respected member of the team. He the let out a breath and looked straight at Clark.

"I'm honored, but why would Rip step down?" Ryuto asked. "He made the decision on his own. I wanted him to rethink his choice, but he knew it was better this way. I was selfish to try to convince him." Clark said. "But why now? Why when we're so close to the end?" Ryuto asked. "I don't know. Rip didn't explain." Clark answered. "Then, I'll take the position." Ryuto said.

Clark nodded in response. He then quickly stood up and started to walk away. He abruptly stopped and turned back to Ryuto.

"We'll make a formal announcement during practice today." Clark said.

Ryuto returned to the table with his friends. He stared at his cold food for a moment, before noticing that everyone had fallen silent. He looked up towards his friends they were all staring at him.

"Please tell me nothing bad happened." Cisco said. "No, Clark just wanted to talk." Ryuto said. "About?" Jay asked. "Something he wants to go over with me in practice." Ryuto said, silently wishing they would drop the subject.

His wish came true when the bell rung and lunch ended. Ryuto quickly picked up his bag and his cold food. He threw the food out and quickly walked to his class, while wonder what caused Rip such a desire to step down form the position. Ryuto could remember everything he had done with him, everything Rip taught him. Those thoughts remained in his head until the final school bell rang. Ryuto swiftly moved to his locker and took out his work out clothes and headed for the gym. He waited for a few minutes for everyone to arrive. When they did, the coaches followed soon after. Everyone was called to attention and Coach Wells began to speak.

"From this moment forwards, Rip will be stepping down from vice-captain. In his place will be Ryuto Rishihara.

The room was silent for moment until clapping was heard all around. Ryuto had hung his head during the announcement, but as he heard the clapping he looked around his teammates. To his surprise, even Oliver was clapping, but he seemed to do it begrudgingly. The only ones that were not clapping were Snart and Mick, but Ryuto let out a small laugh, he expected it from those two. Clark then motioned for Ryuto to come forward. Ryuto took a deep breath and let it out as he walked forward. He then turned to to face everyone as their clapping died down. He cleared his throat before he began to speak.

"I know I'm taking on this position rather late in the season. I just hope that you give me the same respect as you have given Rip. Let's win the championship!"

"Yeah!" everyone said in unison.

After the event, practice started. Everyone began to do the work out for the day, each exercise more tiresome than the last. After his final exercise, Ryuto saw that Rip had finished too. He walked over to him determined to figure out why he stepped down.

"Hey, Rip! You're done with your exercises too." It was more of statement then a question.

Rip nodded in response and put his water bottle up to his mouth.

"I have to ask, why did you step down? Just when the playoffs are starting?" Ryuto asked.

Rip remained silent, he just stared at Ryuto. He then let out a sigh before answering.

"Because you are better fit for the position." Rip said.

The way he said it threw Ryuto off. He said it like it was no big deal, like it was something natural.

"There has to be something more than that?" Ryuto asked. "Nope. It's that simple." Rip said.

Ryuto could not respond. Standing in front of him was a person he admired for his leadership skills, but he had placed those responsibilities onto him; to some one who had just joined the team.

"Now come on, vice-captain, we have to continue with practice." Rip said.

He said it with his usual calmness. He walked away with his hands in his pockets, as if nothing had changed. A few days later, was the start of the playoffs and Ryuto's first start as vice-captain. The team started with their usual players: Rip, Clark, Hartley, Jay, and Ryuto. The five walked onto the court and prepared for the start of the game. Ryuto was nervous, but his usual nervousness. He was nervous because he was starting as vice-captain; the second in command. He let out a breath as he set up for the jump ball.

"Nervous, vice-captain." a voice said.

Ryuto looked up and saw Hartley talking to him. The two never really spoke, so it surprised him when he did.

"A bit." Ryuto admitted. "Just play like you always do." Hartley said adjusting his glasses.

Soon after the game started. By the second quarter it was obvious that Central City Middle School was going to win. While the scores were relatively close, there was no way the opponent could stop their offense. Every time Ryuto did his crossover, he knew he was getting closer to perfecting it. Once again Coach Wells switched in other players and each of them got to showcase their abilities. As quickly as the game started, it was over and Central City Middle School was victorious. The team would continue their undefeated streak all the way to the finals where they would face off once again against Tatsuya's team. The game started off a mostly even match with Tatsuya being the opponents strongest offensive player. However, as the game continued it soon became clear who would be the winner. When the final buzzer rang, Central City Middle School had achieved victory and had become the champions with an undefeated streak. The team celebrated their victory with many cheers and some tears of happiness. Clark help up the trophy triumphantly, while the others crowded around him. It was a happy day for the basketball team.

A few days later, the team was gathered at the gym for one final announcement. Clark and the coaches stood in front of the team, ready to address them.

"Great work this season, boys. Winning undefeated is quiet impressive." Wells said.

Everyone began to give each other high fives and let out cheers.

"Yes, I know it is still fresh in your minds. However, with that this season has come to an end. With that comes the exit of our eight graders." Wells continued.

The gym fell silent as soon as Coach Wells said that. Everyone turned to Rip and Clark and they stood in front of everyone.

"Come on guys, what's with the long faces." Rip said. "He's right, we may be leaving but you guys will continue on. Keep getting stronger and one day you'll surpass the both of us." Clark said.

Oliver was about to say something, but Diggle elbowed him in the stomach.

"However, with us leaving a new captain must be named." Clark said. "We've thought on this for some time and believe he is the best choice." Wells said.

"I'm pretty sure we all know who it's going to be." Kagami whispered.

"The next captain of Central City Middle School is going to be Ryuto Rishihara." Clark announced.

Ryuto took a deep breath and walked forwards. He was now the center of attention, something he did not like.

"Let's have a good season next year." Ryuto said.

"Yeah!" the team said in unison.

Then Ryuto's friends Jay, Kagami, and Cisco piled on top of him. All of them congratulating the next captain. Oliver was ready to argue, but Diggle kept him at bay. Snart and Mick seemed indifferent with the situation and left as soon as it was over.

"You seem calm, Snart." Mick growled. "I'm not surprised that he was named captain. If I'm being honest he's the only person who can give me instruction.

Hartley simply adjusted his glasses with a smile. Then the four friends exited the gym together and met up with Caitlin along with Cadence at the school's entrance. They had made plans earlier in the day to go see a movie together.

 **AN: And here comes to an end this chapter. I know that in this chapter everything seemed to move quickly, but I wanted to get to Barry's introduction as well as Ryuto's seventh grade year quickly. If there's any other clarifications you need just write them in the reviews or PM me. I hope you enjoyed this chapter and stay tuned for the next one. Remember to follow, favorite, and/or review if you haven't already. I also uploaded a visual of how Ryuto closely resembles on twitter. I'll also be putting on the stories picture. I wanted to draw him, but I suck at drawing.**


	4. Chapter 4

**AN: Here is chapter 4 and part three of the Origin Story. Here is he introduction of Barry that some people have been waiting for and I hope it answers so questions you're been having. I hope you enjoy it. Remember I do NOT own KnB or Flash, I only own my character and the plot.**

Chapter 4

Origin Story Part 3

It was an early morning in September and the sun was beginning to rise. Ryuto tried to block out the sun, but the more he tried to more he would wake up. He then let out a sigh and stood up form his bed. He let out a loud yawn and stretched his arms. As he smacked his lips, he could feel how dry they were as well as his throat. As he went to open his door, his mother called out to him.

"Ryuto! You better wake up or you'll be late for your first day!"

"Coming!" Ryuto responded.

As Ryuto remember that he was starting seventh grade, in his mind everything leading up to that moment came to him suddenly.

After finishing the basketball season, everything went back to normal; or as normal it could get. Soon after the end of the season, Jay seemed gloomier than usual. Whenever Ryuto or his friends would ask him, he would murmur something while a tear would come to his eye. It soon became news around the school that Jay's aunt had died, more specifically she was murdered; Jay would never go into the details. From that time on, Jay would sit with his cousin a boy with brown hair and green-brown eyes. Ryuto asked his friends who he was, but no one knew; he was only known as Jay's cousin. Jay kept his distance for the rest of the school year and would rarely talk, but in the summer he began to open up again and he seemed like his usual self; while still spending time with his cousin.

Following that came the beginning of summer vacation. None of his friends were leaving Central City, except for Kagami who would go to Los Angeles almost every summer, so they would spend time together playing basketball, watching movies, or staying up late playing video games. Their friendship grew stronger with each passing day.

Along with the happy days, there sad ones as well. The team got together to say farewell to their two eight graders: Clark and Rip. Clark was returning to Smallville to go to high school there and help out on his family's farm. It turned out Clark was staying with relatives in Central City, not his actual parents. Meanwhile, Rip was returning to England and it was likely he would not return to Central City despite all he said otherwise.

Ryuto had remembered everything just as he was about to eat breakfast.

"Thank you for the food." he said quietly before eating.

As soon as he finished breakfast, he exited his house and walked to the bus stop. Despite the school being walking distance away from his house, Ryuto enjoyed taking the bus since most of his friends were on it. When he entered the bus, he saw Kagami and Cisco talking to one another. Cisco looked up and saw Ryuto,he gestured for him to come sit next to him. Ryuto smiled a bit and sat down next to his friend.

"So, you ready for seventh grade?" Cisco asked. "Sure, I guess." Ryuto said with a shrug. "What do you mean 'I guess'? It's a simple yes or no question." Cisco asked crossing his arms. "Maybe he's just not ready to be captain this year. That's probably why he's so nervous." Kagami teased. "Shut up, Taiga." Ryuto said swatting his friend on the shoulder.

"But are you nervous about that?" Cisco asked with a concerned tone. "Of course I am, but I'll worry about that when November rolls around." Ryuto said.

Cisco gave a quick nod and he changed the subject of the conversation. When they were dropped off at school, Ronnie was entering the school as well. Ryuto called out to his friend and he joined the group.

"Now all we're missing is Jay and Caitlin." Kagami said. "Yeah. Where are they, though?" Cisco asked. "I just got here so I don't know." Ronnie said with a shrug. "We'll probably see them inside." Ryuto said.

The four friends then entered the school and walked to the seventh grade locker area. After putting their books away, each of them went to their respective homerooms. This year, none of those with Ryuto were in the same homeroom as him. He placed his bag in his homeroom and walked towards the bathroom. When he exited the bell rang for the start of homeroom. He sat down at a desk and waited for the day to start.

"Hey." a voice said.

Ryuto looked up to see Caitlin sitting next to him. Ryuto could feel his face turing red again. He quickly shook his head and turned to address her.

"Hey. It surprises me you're late." Ryuto said. "There was traffic and a lot of it." Caitlin said siting down. "Why are you sitting in the back? You alway like to sit in the front of the class." Ryuto asked. "It is just homeroom." Caitlin said with a shrug. "I guess that's true." Ryuto replied.

Ryuto turned his head to the front when his name was called and raised his hand. He then turned to face Caitlin again, he and her only saw each other a few times during the summer. She was always doing something with her mother or father, and whenever she explained it to him he could not understand. As he continued to to think about her his face went red again. She then looked up from her notebook to him.

"Is there something wrong?" she asked with a tilt of her head.

Ryuto quickly realized he had been staring and quickly turned away from let out a nervous laugh before answering.

"No, nothing. Just trying to read the clock." Ryuto said quickly. "But the clock is in front of the class." Caitlin said. "Is that so." Ryuto said as his face became redder.

Saving him from further embarrassment, the bell rang and it was the start of classes. Ryuto picked up his bag and bolted out of the classroom.

"See you later, Caitlin." he called out as he ran.

Caitlin gave a dumbfounded look before it morphed into a smile, she then gave a small laugh before walking to her class. The school day went as it alway did, Ryuto sat through a class until the bell rang and he would move to the other. In the classes preceding lunch he did not have a class with his friends, which disappointed him. At the lunch everyone met up at their usual table, but they quickly noticed Jay was not with them.

"Has anyone seen Jay around today?" Cisco asked. "I haven't." Kagami answered taking a bite out of his sandwich. "Maybe he's with his cousin." Ronnie said. "Man, I forgot what his cousin looked like. There's nothing that stands out with him." Cisco said. "I just hope he's alright. He seemed to be close with his aunt." Ryuto said.

Everyone gave a silent nod and continued to eat their lunch. A late arrival to the table was Caitlin, who let out a sigh as she sat down.

"Wow, almost late for homeroom and late to lunch. Is everything okay?" Ryuto asked. "Yeah, I guess today's not my day." Caitlin said trying to force a smile.

"Well, well if it isn't the scrub table." a cocky voice said.

Everyone at the table let out a sigh as they knew exactly who said it. They all turned back to see Oliver standing at their table. Oliver gave a quick glance to everyone at the table, until his eye fell onto Caitlin.

"What's a pretty girl like you doing with scrubs like this? I'm sure you can do much better than them." Oliver flirted.

He then reach to grab her hand, but Ryuto stood up and grabbed his wrist stopping him.

"Back off. She doesn't like guys like you." Ryuto threatened. "Looks like someone's defensive," Oliver said shaking off Ryuto's grip, "I'll keep that in mind."

"Come on Dig, I can feel the scrubbiness rubbing off on me. Can't have that affecting my game." Oliver said with a laugh.

Ryuto sat down and his angry expression softened. He looked to Caitlin who gave him a worried look. It then changed to her more neutral expression.

"Thank you, Ryuto, but I can handle my self." Caitlin said. "Well, I just thought that maybe-" he stopped when she placed her hand on his. "Still, thanks." she said with a smile.

Once again red flashed onto his face, and everyone at the table noticed. The boys gave dumb smiles, while Caitlin tilted her head again. Ryuto quickly turned away from everyone and stood up. He grabbed his bag and quickly exited the cafeteria. As he exited, he walked past Jay who began to scratch his head in confusion. He walked over to the table and point in Ryuto's direction.

"What's up with him?"

"Oh, man this is too good." Cisco said rubbing his hands together. "To you answer your question, we have an idea." Kagami said with a sly smile.

The final bell rang and the first day of school came to an end. Ryuto opened his locker and placed some his book inside it. He then closed it and turned to walk home, but as he did so Kagami and Cisco were standing in front of him, both a strange smiles on their faces. Ryuto gave them a quick look before swinging his backpack onto his shoulders and began to walk. As he did so, Kagami and Cisco followed.

"What do you guys want?" Ryuto asked as he walked. "Well, we just wanted to tell you that someone's crushing on Caitlin." Cisco said with a snicker.

Ryuto stopped walking, his eyes widened and his face went red quickly. He adjusted the straps of his backpack nervously before answering.

"What are you guys talking about?" he asked not facing them. "You heard." Kagami said snickering. "And who might that be?" Ryuto asked. "You, dummy. You made it super obvious too." Cisco said with a laugh. "Yeah, it was real obvious." Kagami echoed.

Ryuto remained quiet for a moment. He took a deep breath and released it before turing to them.

"Me? You can't be serious." Ryuto said a calmly as he could. "Denying it is the first step to admitting it." Kagami replied. "I always thought having a crush on someone was high school thing, but I guess that's only in movies." Cisco said with a shrug. "Guys, I'm not 'crushing' on Caitlin," Ryuto said putting quotes around the word, "she's just a friend."

"Or is she?" Cisco asked with a sly smile.

The two boys began to inch closer to him with each step and with each step they took Ryuto moved back.

"Look, guys, I don't know what you saw, but Caitlin is just a friend." Ryuto said.

He then spun on his heel and hastily walked away from them. He made sure to hide the fact that his face had gone red again and he was sweating nervously.

"Whatever you say!" Cisco called out. "Oh, man this is too good."

"He's not going to hear the end of this, is he?" Kagami asked as he placed a hand on his hip. "You have no idea." Cisco said.

As the school year continued, Cisco and Kagami would continue to tease Ryuto. They would do it so much that when his parents found out, his mother would talk to him about girls. When that happened, they kept their teasing to a minimum. Finally, November came and with that the start of the basketball season. Ryuto had met with Coach Wells and Coach Stein to talk about what would happen during the season. He was told to pick a vice-captain, so he chose Cisco while also apologizing to Kagami since he was frustrated that he was not picked. Then came those who were sure to return to the team. Ryuto and Cisco were chosen quickly as they were going to be leading the team. In the end they went with Oliver and Kagami since they were the strongest candidates. After that, Ryuto with the help of his friends helped put up flyers for the upcoming tryouts. The day before the tryouts, the four who were chosen for the team were notified. Kagami was happy that he was chose, while Oliver seemed like it was only the logical option.

"Oliver you better keep you mouth shut about this." Ryuto had said. "Don't worry. I won't tell anyone." Oliver said waving him away. "Not even Diggle." Cisco added. "Whatever." Oliver said as he had exited the office.

Then came the first day of tryouts. Ryuto watched from the corner of the court all the new players and returning players. Of the returning players there was Jay, Hartley, Ronnie, Diggle, Snart, and Mick. Ryuto took a deep breath and turn to Cisco, who was equally as nervous.

"Ready?" Ryuto asked. "As ready as I'll be." Cisco said.

Ryuto nodded and called for everyone's attention. Everyone was quick to quiet down as well as turn their attention forwards.

"Glad to see so many of you could make it. Welcome to the Central City Middle School Basketball Team tryouts. I'm going to be your captain this year. You can call me: Ryuto. Here is my vice-captain. I want you to show the same respect you show me."

"Hi everyone, my name is Cisco." Cisco said waving to everyone.

"Now we'll introduce you to the coaches. Meet Head Coach Harrison Wells and Assistant Coach Martin Stein." Ryuto said gesturing to the two men walking towards the group.

"Thank you Mr. Rishihara, Mr. Ramon." Stein said.

The two boys nodded and stepped away from the coaches. Coach Wells then had the full attention of everyone.

"It's nice to see so many new and old faces. As he said you'll be trying out for this years basketball team. Some things to get out of the way, four spots on the team have been decided. Two of those spots have taken by your captain and vice-captain, the other two have been notified but were asked to be present for the try out. So, I expect everyone to be try their hardest for the remaining eight spots."

Everyone gave a nod of acknowledgement, before Coach Wells continued to speak. As he did, Hartley tapped Jay on the shoulder.

"Were you called to part of that group of four?" he whispered. "No, were you?" Jay replied in a hushed tone. "No, I wasn't. I'm pretty sure it was two former sixth graders." Hartley said adjusting his glasses. "Perhaps you're right." Jay said.

"…does everyone understand how today's tryout is going to go?" Wells concluded.

"Yes!" everyone said in unison. "Good now get to your station." Wells said blowing his whistle.

All the players went to the stations they were assigned to and it was the same as when Ryuto had tried out. He and Cisco were in charge of the dribbling station just as Clark and Rip before them. As the try out continued, Ryuto saw out of the corner of his eye that a boy was watching from the entrance. Ryuto blinked and the boy was gone. Ryuto scratched his head in confusion before turing back to those trying out. The try out had ended the same way it was last year, and everyone was dismissed. In the office with Coach Wells, Coach Stein, Ryuto, and Felicity they discussed how everyone did. They agreed that those who were returning from previous years had the best chance to make the team. Coach Stein tried to avoid talking about Ronnie, but Coach Wells brought him up.

"It seems Mr. Raymond only does well after you talk to him." Wells said clicking his pen. "Well, he just needs the encouragement in order to preform well." Stein said adjusting his glasses. "He hasn't shown any improvements since last season. He's at a plateau that doesn't seem to change." Felicity said looking at her notes. "When we played during the summer, he seemed to have gotten better." Ryuto said with a shrug. "I know he's your friend, but as captain you have to be less subjective and more objective." Wells said. "I know that, I'll try." Ryuto said.

"I believe that's all for tonight. We'll go over things after tomorrows tryout." Wells said standing from his chair.

Everyone nodded and stood up from their chairs. Ryuto grabbed his bag and began to walk home. When he entered, his mother was there to greet him.

"How was the try out, captain?" his mother said in a playful tone. "Fine, a lot of people tried out." Ryuto said setting his bag down. "You must be hungry, your dad made sukiyaki tonight." his mother said with a smile. "No way! Awesome! Thanks, Dad!" Ryuto called out.

The next day, Jay was sitting at a lunch table with his cousin. His cousin was eating quietly, he would barely say anything. Jay let out a sigh, as he tried to get him to talk.

"Barry, basketball tryouts today. Are you going to come?" Jay asked.

The boy, now named Barry, simply sighed quietly. Jay ran a hand through his hair, Barry would barely speak since the murder.

"Barry, I know you miss her, I do too, but you have to keep looking ahead. That's what she would say." Jay said placing his hand on Barry's shoulders. "I'll try to make it." Barry said quietly. "I know you'll be happy with the team. Everyone is nice, well mostly everyone." Jay said.

"Yo, Jay! You got a second?" Cisco asked. "Coming." Jay said turing back to Barry. "Please come."

Barry watched as Jay sat down with his friends from the basketball team. Barry tried to listen to what they were talking about, but the cafeteria was filled with voices and they were drowned out. Soon after, the bell rang and it was on to the next class. Barry had P.E. but he did not really like the class, he was not that athletic. His class gathered in the gym, each wearing gym clothes, with the teacher waiting for them.

"Okay, so today basically you're free to do whatever you want as long as it's some type of physical activity." the teacher said as he blew his whistle.

Barry watched as everyone dispersed. Each person went to do something different, but many tried their best to do stay out of doing anything physical. Barry looked over to the lone basketball hoop and saw a ball laying on the floor. He sighed and walked over to it. He picked up the ball and started to dribble it. He dribbled the ball to the free throw line and squared up to shoot. He then released. The ball sailed in the air and bounced off the backboard and into the hoop. Barry grabbed the ball and continued to shoot.

Kagami watched as Ryuto tossed up a volleyball and smacked it across the court, landing in the lines. Ryuto grabbed another and repeated the motion. Kagami continued to watch as he did the same thing over and over, but he kept and eye on Barry. He watched as the boy only missed one free throw. As Ryuto served again, Kagami stopped him.

"What's up?" Ryuto asked. "That kid. He's only missed one free throw." Kagami said pointing.

Ryuto looked to the direction he was pointing and saw a boy shooting free throws.

"Wow, good form." Ryuto commented. "Who's that?"

"I think that's Jay's cousin." Kagami answered.

Ryuto nodded and set down the volleyball. He began to walk towards the boy, and Kagami followed.

"Hey, kid." Ryuto called out.

The boy jumped in surprise and let out a small cry. The boy turned sheepishly to the two Japanese boys. His eyes then widened in surprise at two people that stood before him.

"Wait you're Ryuto. Captain of the basketball team." the boy said amazed. "I'm surprised you've hear of me. I try to keep to myself." Ryuto said placing a hand behind his head. "You play basketball?" Kagami asked. "Well, I dabble." The boy said with a shrug. "I saw you shoot, your form is excellent." Ryuto said. "Wow, a compliment from you that's awesome!" Barry said star eyed. "Why haven't you tried out for the team? I'm sure you'd do great." Ryuto asked. "It's just, compared to everyone on the team I'm probably just average." Barry said his voice getting lower as he did. "How about this, we play a one-on-one in the time we have let. Show me what you got." Ryuto said.

"Wait, what?" Barry said surprised "A one-on-one against you?"

Ryuto simply nodded his answer.

"I don't know. You're the captain and I'm just some guy you just me who isn't that good." Barry said. "Let your skills decide that for you." Ryuto said with a smile.

Barry let out a sigh and gave the basketball to Ryuto.

"Let's do this." Barry said halfheartedly. "With an attitude like that, you'll never beat me." Ryuto said as he started to dribble the ball.

Barry got into the best defensive stance he could, mimicking all the NBA matches he had seen on tv. Ryuto watched as Barry set his feet, he noticed quickly Barry had very little experience defending. Ryuto faked going to the right, Barry fell for it, and cut to the left. Barry tried to recover, but Ryuto was already at the basket. Ryuto grabbed the ball and passed it to Barry.

"Spread out your legs more. With the stance you had, you would have had no chance of catching up to me. Gotta stay on your toes." Ryuto said getting into position.

Barry got into an offensive stance, ready to make a move. Ryuto was quick to notice that Barry was probably a lot better at offense than defense. Barry let out a breath, and crossed over to left. Using that momentum, he dribbled past Ryuto is a quick motion. Ryuto turned to catch up, but Barry cut back and crossed over to his right. He jumped to the basket and scored a lay up. Ryuto was left in a state of astonishment, he not expected such quick movements form a novice. He looked towards Kagami who also had a surprised look. Ryuto then let out a laugh, which caught Barry's attention.

"Did I do something wrong?" Barry asked. "Quite the opposite. From someone says they don't play a lot of basketball, you sure know some advanced techniques." Ryuto said "Let's continue, my ball."

Barry passed the ball to Ryuto and got into a defensive stance. _Looks like he took my advice, his stance is better now. It's still very exploitable_ Ryuto thought. Ryuto quickened his dribbling and in one motion broke past Barry. Ryuto moved closer to the basket, but Barry had cut him off. Ryuto forced himself to stop moving and jumped back for a fadeaway. As he released, he noticed that he was going to miss. _What the hell was that speed? I've never seen anyone go that fast_ Ryuto thought. The ball bounced off the backboard and Barry was the there to catch it. Barry set up at the three point line. Ryuto moved to defend him and quickly assessed that Barry was getting better the more he played. Barry began to quicken the pace of his dribbling, but as he began to drive forwards, he could not control the ball. Ryuto took the opportunity to swipe the ball away and quickly scored a basket while Barry was off balance. _What's with the guy? So much raw talent and he's never played before_ Ryuto thought. They continued to play until the teacher called for everyone to stop and put away the gear since the class was about to end. Ryuto picked up the ball and tossed it to Barry.

"One last play." Ryuto said. "But-" Barry began to say. "One last play. Give it all you've got." Ryuto said getting into a stance.

Barry nodded and began to dribble the ball. He drove towards the basket at a fast pace, Ryuto tried to keep up, but his movements were too quick. Barry then broke away from Ryuto and jumped to score a lay up, but Ryuto was quick to react and blocked the shot. The two boys landed and began to pant. Ryuto wiped the sweat from his forehead and kept his eyes on Barry. _For being a beginner, he almost made me go all out_ Ryuto thought. The three boys could hear the teacher blow his whistle and called for the three boys to get changed. They apologized and went into the locker room. The three boys got changed in relative silence and only talked again when Ryuto and Kagami were about to leave.

"What's your name?" Ryuto asked. "Barry. Barry Allen." Barry said. "Well then Barry, I expect to see you today for the try out." Ryuto said. "You're good, man." Kagami said.

The two Japanese boys left the locker room, only Barry and his thoughts remained.

"That kid was something else." Kagami said. "Yeah, he seemed to get better as the game continued." Ryuto added. "Wait, got better?" Kagami asked raising an eyebrow. "You saw his first drive to the basket, you have to have a really high skill level to do those maneuvers." Ryuto answered. "I was talking about his speed, but you're right there." Kagami said. "That's true, he's faster than me and I'm the fasted guy on the team." Ryuto said. "That's debatable. Jay's pretty fast." Kagami countered. "We had a race once, I won. Remember?" Ryuto said. "You guys had a tie." Kagami said throwing his arms into the air.

"Whatever, man." Ryuto said. "Barry Allen? Where have I heard that name before?"

Later in the day, Ryuto prepared for day two of the tryouts. As he walked onto the court, he gave a look to everyone there. He let out a disappointed sigh when he could not see Barry. He gave another look around, but still could not see him.

"Dang it." Ryuto whispered to himself.

"Why are you so disappointed?" a voice asked behind him

Ryuto turned back to see Jay standing. He had his arms were folded across his chest and seemed to have a pensive look on his face.

"Nothing, just hoping someone I met would come to the try out today." Ryuto answered. "That sucks." Jay said. "He didn't really seem like the athletic type, but he was good a basketball." Ryuto commented. "Who are we talking about?" Jay asked. "Oh right, his name was Barry Allen. His name sounds familiar, I just can't place it." Ryuto said putting his finger to his forehead in a pensive state. "You met my cousin?" Jay asked surprise. "He's your cousin?" Ryuto also asked in surprise. "Well yeah. My last name is from his moms side." Jay answered. "Wait so that means…" Ryuto said trailing off.

Jay simply nodded in response. Ryuto pushed his hair back with two hands as his eyes widened.

"Holy crap." Ryuto said. "Jay, why didn't you tell me your cousin was so good at basketball?"

"We've only played a couple of times and he's got the basics down." Jay said raising his hands defensively. "Well from where I was standing, he pulled off some high level techniques." Ryuto replied. "How do you know that?" Jay asked. "I had a one-on-one with him." Ryuto answered. "Well, you must've beaten him." Jay said. "We didn't keep score, but I scored the most baskets, his defense if lacking by the way. He almost made me go all out." Ryuto said.

This time Jay's eyes widened in surprise.

"You had to go all out?" Jay asked. "Almost. He's good, I was hoping he'd show up today." Ryuto said.

Barry walked towards the entrance of the school, ready to leave. He turned back to give the gym a look. He saw people entering it, no doubt for the tryouts. He gave a sigh, Ryuto's words still rung in his head. He had told him to try out, but Barry knew he was not good enough to join the team. He imagined he was holding a basketball and began to dribble it, the sensation of it was infections. He shook his head and pushed the thoughts to the back of his mind. _I'm not meant to play basketball_ Barry thought. As he walked, he heard footsteps coming up behind him. Barry was prepared to run, he was always an easy target for bullies. He gave a quick glance back and gave a sigh of relief when it was someone he knew.

"Hey, Iris." Barry waved. "What's up? Why are you heading home? Aren't you going to the basketball tryouts?" Iris asked. "No, I'm not cut out to play basketball." Barry answered. "But, I heard that that captain asked you personally." Iris said with a tilt of her head. "Wait, how did you hear about that?" Barry asked surprised. "Everyone form our grade was talking about it. You had a one-on-one against him, everyone in your P.E. class saw it and it's all people are talking about." Iris explained. "You're serious?" Barry asked.

"Mhm." Iris said with a nod. "I also heard people saying that he was really impressed with your skills."

 _He was actually impressed with me?_ Barry thought.

The next day, Barry walked into school and could feel some eyes looking towards him. He made his way through the crowds until he saw very recognizable grey hair closing a locker. Barry smiled and picked up his pace to catch up to him. As he reached the locker, he saw now sign of grey hair. He did a slow 360 turn on his heel to try to find him.

"Where were you yesterday?" a voice asked.

Barry blinked and in front of him stood Ryuto. Barry jumped back in surprise at Ryuto's sudden appearance.

"Sorry about that. I just didn't feel like I was good enough. Even after our one-on-one, I felt like I wasn't good enough." Barry explained.

"Look Barry, I realize you've gone through some tough times and, to me, it seems like it holds you back. You're too caught up with what happened and you can't look forwards. I'm not saying that what happened to you should just sweep under the rug and forget about it," Ryuto said placing a hand on Barry's shoulder, "you need to keep moving forwards. I'm sure that's what your mother would say."

Barry stayed silent. He was being told what he needed to hear, but he could never bring himself to accept it. Barry hung his head, his eye were covered by his hair. Ryuto could see the tears falling from his eyes. Ryuto gave a soft smile and patted Barry on the shoulder.

"Barry, what happened to you was awful, but you got to keep going. Life isn't going to pause and wait for you to get over it. You can pause it for yourself, but everything is going to keep moving. I hope you can understand that." Ryuto said taking his hand away. "If I made you feel bad in any way, I'm sorry, that wasn't my intention."

"No, it's fine. People have been telling me that for a while, I just-" Barry cut himself off.

He then wiped the tears with his sleeve and looked up to Ryuto. His were still watery, but with a new brightness that he never had before.

"I'll see you today after school, at the try out." Barry said. "I hope so. Today's the last day, you've already made an impression on Taiga and me but now you gotta impress everyone else." Ryuto said.

Barry nodded with determination. Ryuto gave him light punch on the shoulder and smiled.

"Good luck." Ryuto said turing on his heel.

To Barry, the day went agonizingly slow everything moved in slow motion. When the final bell rang, everything sped up. He darted out of the classroom and to his locker. He grabbed his exercise clothes and dart to the gym. He quickly changed and walked into the gym. He quickly realized that he was the first one there. He let out a laugh and smiled.

"Looks like I was a bit too excited." Barry said aloud.

"Who are you, scrub?" a voice asked.

Barry looked towards where the voice came and saw a dirty blonde haired boy with blue eyes. He wore a simple green t-shirt and black pants, his shoes were the same black and green color as his shirt and pants. Barry looked down at his own shoes, he realized he was going to need basketball shoes, the ones he had were more for running.

"I asked you a question?" the boy said getting closer. "My name is Barry Allen. I'm here to tryout." Barry said nervously. "Reall? You?" the boy said with a laugh. "I don't see what's so funny." Barry replied. "Oh, you've got a bark," the boy said, "let's see if you got bite."

The boy walked past Barry and grabbed a lone basketball. He lazily passed it to Barry. Barry stared at the ball as it landed in his hands, even if just yesterday he held a ball this one felt cold. He looked back towards the boy, he now seemed twice his previous height. He towered over him like some sort of monster. He seemed to radiate a cold, unforgiving aura. Barry gulped loudly as the boy walked past him, not even giving him a glance. The boy then did a quick turn to face Barry.

"You don't belong here." the boy said. "If the captain thinks I does, then I think I have the right to." Barry said. "That foreigner can kiss my ass. He's not my captain and as far as I'm concerned he's got no right leading me." the boy said.

"Is that so?" a voice called out.

The boy's eyes widened at the voice, he seemed to quickly gather who he was. The boy looked back to see Ryuto standing at the door of the gym.

"Say that again, Oliver." Ryuto said walking towards Oliver. "Hey come on, I'm only saying things. You and I both know this kid doesn't belong." Oliver said pointing to Barry. "I personally told him to come and as far as I'm concerned he's more than capable. Now get your ass away from him." Ryuto said sternly.

Oliver did as he was told and walked away, grumbling as he did so. Ryuto then let out a sigh and turned to Barry.

"Sorry about Oliver, he's just an ass." Ryuto said with a smile. "He seemed strong." Barry said. "Yeah he is." Ryuto said. "Is everyone as strong as him?" Barry asked. "As far as I'm concerned you could beat him when you learn some defense." Ryuto said with a smile.

Ryuto walked away from Barry, but made to sure to keep an eye on him as people began to enter. When Jay arrived, he was quick to be at Barry's side. Ryuto smiled at the sight, he was glad those two were related. When everyone arrived, Ryuto called for everyone's attention.

"For this last day of tryouts, we'll be playing a tournament. Everyone here is to make a team with five players you can choose whoever you want, but choose wisely. The coaches will be over seeing the games as referees. Each game will be five minutes long and only one quarter. If everyone is clear about the rules, choose your teammates."

Barry looked around as everyone was making a team. He got more distressed as more people were forming groups.

"Hey, Barry come over here." Jay called out.

Barry looked towards Jay and saw three more people standing with him. Barry jogged over to them and was introduced through Jay.

"Everyone meet my cousin, Barry. Barry this is Hartley, Ronnie, and Taiga." Jay said.

"Nice to meet you." Ronnie said.

"Let's see how me play together." Kagami said.

"Pleasure, just don't hold us back." Hartley said adjusting his glasses.

Jay let out a small laugh and the team was given the number of 4.

"Okay now that everyone is paired up, the first match will be team 4 against team 1. Please step up to the court." Wells announced.

"Who's team one?" Barry asked. "I don't know, but I hop-" Jay started to say. "Aww, crap." "Wow, that team is just stacked." Kagami said.

Barry looked over to where everyone was looking and saw a team a five players. He only recognized on person, Oliver who seemed to be in charge of the team. However, the other four he did not recognize.

"Who are they?" Barry asked.

Hartley let out a cough to get Barry's attention and began to explain.

"The big guy to the right, is John Diggle. He is an excellent center and really strong. If he's boxing you out, you have no chance in beating him to the rebound. The guy that looks like an big idiot is Mick Rory. He has a strange ability to make and foul he gives be to the other person. The guy next to him is Lenard Snart. He has the mind of a point guard, but doesn't play the position. Be careful with his Freeze Dribble as it can stop you in place and he can use it consecutively. Finally the blonde haired boy is Oliver. He never misses a jump shot from anywhere. His limit is about two to three feet away from in front of the three point line. He's as arrogant as they come, but on the court he's more collected and analytical. That last kid, I'm not too sure who he is"

"Those guys must be tough." Barry said. "That's stating the obvious." Ronnie said.

The five boys then got into a circular huddle and began to discuss a game play.

"For defense, I'll take John. Hartley, you're on Oliver. Taiga, you'll guard Mick, Ronnie-" Jay began to say.

"That won't work, Jay. They clearly out match us, so rather than man-to-man let's play zone defense." Barry said. "Look, Barry you're new here we played with those guys and we know how they work, so let us decide on who guards who." Hartley said. "Now hold on a second Hartley, let's hear him out." Jay said.

"Basically we run a 2-1-2 defense. Have me and Hartley stand at the top guarding for three's. While Jay stand in the middle with Taiga and Ronnie playing behind defending if they decide to attack from the corners." Barry explained.

"I could work with that." Kagami said. "Same goes for me." Ronnie said. "Let's try it then." Jay said. "Good work, Barry."

Barry smiled at his cousin and walked towards the center of the court where they prepared for the jump ball. In the center of the circle stood Jay and Diggle ready to jump, while everyone stood around them. Barry stood next to the boy no knew and he was shaking with nervousness.

"You okay?" Barry asked. "Those guys are really scary. They needed a point guard and they just chose me." the boy said. "Sorry about that." Barry said. "Why would you be sorry?" the boy asked. "I don't know. It seemed like the right thing to say." Barry said with a shrug.

Soon after whistle blew and the ball was thrown into the air. Both boys jumped for it, but Diggle managed to swat it towards Snart. Snart dribbled the ball down the court and stopped when he saw a zone defense. He raised an eyebrow wondering why they would set themselves up like that. Snart then passed the ball to Oliver and Hartley moved to defend him. Oliver gave a quick look towards the basket squared up to the basket. He set for a shot and Hartley jumped to block, but it was a fake and Oliver dribbled past him and went to set up again, but Jay moved up to defend. Oliver tsked and sent a bounce pass to Mick. He caught the ball and jumped scoring a lay up. Barry silently cursed and jogged to offense.

"Hey, Barry." Jay called out. "For the most part, your plan worked. We'll continue using zone until we can't keep it up."

Barry nodded and watched as Jay passed him and se tup for offense. Barry gave a quick smile and returned his focus on the game. Hartley decided to be point guard and he caught the inbound. He dribbled to the three point line, where the nervous boy defended him. Hartley gave a scowl and passed the ball to Barry. When Barry caught the ball, he was defended by Oliver. Oliver had a smile on his face, like he was happy he was guarding Barry.

"Well, well looks like I'm guarding you Scrub." Oliver taunted. "We will win." Barry said determined. "Tell me that if you can get past me." Oliver said.

Barry took the challenge and began to dribble at a quicker speed. Oliver kept a close watch as Barry's dribbled quickened, then in an instant Barry drove towards the basket. Oliver turned to defend him, but Diggle was already there defending with his arms high. Barry simply spun around him and scored a lay up. Diggle turned back with his eyes wide in surprise.

"That speed. He's faster than both Ryuto and Jay." Diggle said.

Oliver tightened the grip to his fist. He then called out to the boy for him to pass him the ball. The boy did just that and passed to Oliver. Oliver caught the ball and squared up to the basket, this time in front of Barry. Barry watched as Oliver brought the ball into a shooting formation and prepared to jump. However, what surprised him was that he jumped backwards doing a fadeaway. Barry watched as the ball sailed over his hand in a straight line, it bounced off the back board and into the basket. Barry looked towards Oliver, once again he felt the same aura as he did when he first met him. Barry reeled back a bit, not expecting Oliver to just radiate strength.

"That shot just now was called Heaven. It's one of the three shooting forms, plus a fourth that I invented." Oliver said with a scoff.

Oliver then turned and jogged to defense. Barry let out heavy breaths as he felt himself being released from Oliver's aura. He then felt a hand placed on his shoulder, he looked back to see Jay looking at him with a concerned expression.

"Are you alright, Barry?" Jay asked. "Yeah," Barry said clearing his throat, "I'm fine."

"Hey if you feel bad or anything just tell me and we'll stop the game." Jay said. "Thanks, Jay. But we don't need to stop the game for me." Barry said.

Jay nodded and jogged to offense. Barry let out a steady breath and jogged to defense as well.

As the game continued, Barry began to realize why the other believed that their opponent were "stacked." He had been on the receiving end of multiple of Oliver's three, which seemed to have the same intention; crush Barry's spirit. Next was Snart's Freeze Dribble. Barry moved to defend him after he had "frozen" Hartley in place, but was frozen himself and Snart scored a lay up. He saw just how strong Diggle was and how ferocious Mick was. When the game ended he was not surprised that they had lost, but Barry felt happy. He enjoyed playing despite loosing and wanted to continue. They played with another loosing team and were able to win that game, but they lost against the second opponent and were eliminated from the tournament. Those that were eliminated stayed to watch the rest of the games and to no one's surprise, Oliver's team had won. As Oliver walked off the court, he glared at Barry and then shifted his gaze to Ryuto, who was standing close to him. After a water break, the team got together in the center of the court forming a circle around the coaches.

"Nice work today everyone. You've given us a lot to think about." Wells said. "We wish you all the best of luck when the final roster is decided." Stein said. "You are all dismissed." Wells said.

Everyone huddled closer together, gave a small cheer and dispersed. Barry walked over to his bag and picked it up. He swung a strap over his shoulder and began to walk.

"Wait a second, Barry." Ryuto's voice called out.

Barry turned back to see Ryuto walking towards him.

"You did really well today. You definitely left and impression." Ryuto said with a smile. "Thanks, I just hope it was enough." Barry said with a shrug. "If making the final decision was up to me, I'd chose you in heartbeat. You managed to piss Oliver off really quickly and still managed to keep playing despite everything." Ryuto said with a laugh at the end. "Thanks, Ryuto." Barry said. "I hope you make the team." Ryuto said walking away.

Barry gave a smile and began to walk to the schools entrance where Jay was waiting for him. The two began to walk, talking about basketball. Meanwhile, back in the gym, Ryuto walked into Coach Well's office and sat down at a round table where Coach Wells and Coach Stein were at, as well as Felicity. They were each handed a folder with data sheets on them by Felicity going over each person who tired out.

"I think it's fait to assume that those sixth graders that moved up will be joining again." Stein said. "Your assumption is correct Martin, even your gamble is returning he shows considerable improvement." Wells said. "Yeah, he even caught me off guard I had to change everything on his data sheet." Felicity said. "Are we in agreement then?" Wells asked.

Coach Stein and Ryuto nodded and Wells wrote down the names onto a piece of paper.

"Who else are we taking?" Wells asked lifting his head. "I think we should take Jay back." Ryuto said. "He has been a reliable player, but we should try to find some new people." Stein said. "Then how about Barry Allen, you guys saw how he played." Ryuto said. "He did show considerable promise." Stein said looking towards Wells. "From what I saw today, he'll keep getting stronger the more he practices." Felicity said looking through a paper.

Wells placed his hand on his chin and began to think. He then grabbed a pen a clicked it and began to write a name.

"We'll take Mr. Allen, because he shows the most promise. He has excellent court sense, even though his fundamentals could use some work." Wells said.

"Moving on then." Stein said.

The next day, Ryuto walked into the school nervous about the final roster. Even if he was there to figure it out he was nervous about everyone's reactions to seeing mostly everyone from the previous year making the team. When lunch rolled around, he sat at the usual table with all his friends and with Barry as a new addition to the table. He listened as Barry talked to everyone like if he had known them forever; especially with Cisco, those two boys hit it off quickly. Ryuto smiled the timid Barry Allen that had just met was smiling and laughing like nothing was wrong. Ryuto turned to Jay, who seemed to be hiding being overly happy. He reached over and flicked his bicep. Jay turned to Ryuto with scowl.

"Just trying to get your attention." Ryuto said. "What's up?" Jay asked as his expression softened. "You seem happy." Ryuto answered. "Thanks for helping Barry, I appreciate it." Jay said. "He just needed a push." Ryuto replied.

When lunch ended, everyone went to their next class. As Ryuto began to walk, he saw that Caitlin was walking next to him.

"Hey, Caitlin. What's up?" he asked as calmly as he could. "You've been avoiding me lately." Caitlin said. "What makes you say that?" Ryuto asked nervously. "Whenever we're in school you try to avoid making eye contact with me and much less talk." Caitlin explained. "I don't mean to upset you or anything, it's just I've been a bit predisposed as of late." Ryuto said. "Is something wrong?" Caitlin asked, her eyes seemed to change with the question. "Everything is fine. Just give me some time and I'll explain." Ryuto answered. "Okay. I miss our conversations." Caitlin said in a low voice, turing away.

Ryuto groaned and faceplamed. _Why are girls so complicated?_ Ryuto asked himself. The rest day seemed to move slowly for Ryuto, he watched the seconds tick by at the slowest pace. When the final bell rung Ryuto let out a sigh of relief. He knew that the roster was going to be posted after school, so walked towards the office and watched as the people arrived to see the list. He saw a lot of disappointed faces. Seeing them only brought his mood down as he did not want anyone to feel sad. He already knew that most of the players from the previous year were returning, he just wanted to see Barry's look when he saw his name, and he was quick to find out. Barry arrived and walked up timidly to the roster sheet. He then collected himself and let out a breath. His expression changed to ecstatic happiness when he saw his name, letting out a loud "yahoo!" Ryuto smiled at the sight, happy that he was happy. The mood quickly changed when Oliver walked up to the roster sheet. He quickly saw Barry's named and turned to him in anger. Ryuto quickly moved and got in between the two, separating them.

"Why did he make the team?" Oliver asked furiously, pointing at Barry. "Last time I checked he made the team because of his skills." Ryuto said calmly. "Bullcrap. He had maybe one good moment." Oliver said. "In that moment, he blew past you. Similarly how I did to you, if you remember." Ryuto said.

"I don't know why you even bother with this. We all know I can score 100 points on my own." Oliver boasted changing the subject. "That may be true, but this is a team sport and teamwork is key." Ryuto said. "Teamwork? Who gives a damn about that? Individually we could take down the strongest teams easily. You know that better than anyone." Oliver replied. "If that were the case then this would not be a team anymore just a group of individuals." Ryuto said. "What's wrong with that?" Oliver asked.

"You're actually asking that?" Ryuto replied pinching the bridge of his nose. "Let me remind you that in order for you to shoot you need to catch a pass. And what if you get closed out from a shot, what then?"

"I know how to dribble away, or, better yet, just take the shot." Oliver answered. "That's the problem. You're too focused on yourself and your skills to put any value in teamwork. Snart and Mick only trust themselves, but in the end they accept teamwork when it's needed." Ryuto said. "We won undefeated last year. What more proof do you need of how strong we are?" Oliver asked throwing his arms in the air. "I will grant you that, but if you only see basketball as an individual game you have no right to play." Ryuto said crossing his arms. "You can't kick me out." Oliver threatened. "That's true. I don't want to hear this again. We play as a team and everyone is an asset to it." Ryuto said.

Ryuto turned away from Oliver and began to walk away, Barry followed close behind. Barry looked back to Oliver, he seemed angrier than before. Barry looked back to Ryuto who seemed calm, calmer than usual.

"Uh, Ryuto?" Barry asked timidly. "Don't worry, he'll get over it. Oliver is very prideful. Though, I could've held back a bit." Ryuto answered finishing with a shrug. "That's not what I mean. I'm meant was how he said focusing on individual skill made you all better." Barry said.

Ryuto stopped walked and looked to the floor. Barry noticed and turned back to him. Ryuto's hands hung on his side, and fists were forming.

"I didn't mean to get you angry." Barry said holing up his hands.

Ryuto let out a breath and looked up to face Barry.

"There's something I need to explain to you." Ryuto said.

Barry gave a nod and began to listen. Ryuto explained how each of the players on the current roster had some type of ability in basketball. Each of them excelled at one specific position and skill. Cisco was good at ball handling and his passing sense was excellent. Oliver would not miss a jump shot and Diggle was the best at rebound. Snart had his dribble and Mick had his ferocity. Kagami had his jumping skill and Jay's best asset was his speed. While Ryuto was good at almost everything. Barry listened in awe at just how strong the team was, he never knew each person had such strong abilities.

"With those abilites comes a price. We tend to focus more on our own strength rather than team play. That's the argument I had with Oliver." Ryuto explained. "So, I don't want you to think of yourself on the court. Think of the team and how you can assist it."

Barry gave a nod as a reply. Ryuto gave a soft smile and began to walk. The two boys said their goodbyes and separated to go home. That same night, Oliver was at a street court venting out his anger towards his captain.

"Damn him. Thinking he can give me order when I'm so much stronger than him." Oliver muttered releasing a shot.

He picked up the basketball and look down the court to the other basket. He looked back to where he was standing, on the opposite side of the court. Oliver then let out a breath, which was visible in the cold, and squared up to the basket. He jumped and released his shot, putting much more energy into it. The ball sailed, but never made it to the basket; it landed on the free throw line. Oliver growled at the sight, but anger disappeared as soon as it came. He stood at the half court line and looked to the basket. He then grabbed the ball and squared up at the half court line. He jumped and released. The ball bounced off the back board and into the basket, just like all his other shots. He gave a small smile and set up for another shot, he released and got the same outcome as the last one.

"Wait until you see this, no one will dispute that I'm better." Oliver muttered.

"Yo, Oliver!" Diggle's voice called out.

Oliver turned his head to see Diggle jogging towards the court.

"I've been looking for you everywhere. You're mother is worried sick." Diggle said panting. "I guess I didn't tell anyone where I was going, my bad." Oliver replied. "We should get going, it's getting late." Diggle said. "But tomorrow's Saturday." Oliver said. "Either way your mother wants you back home." Diggle said sternly. "Alright, alright let's get moving." Oliver said as he stared walked. "What were you doing out here anyways?" Diggle asked. "Practicing." Oliver said quickly.

After several practices, came the teams first game. Everyone was putting on their uniforms on in the locker room. Ryuto noticed that now he was number 4, the captains number. He traced the number with his finger, remembering that just last year Clark was wearing the same number. He let out a sigh and let his arms hang on his sides. He felt as if he was not worthy to wear the number. He took out his shoes from the locker and sat down to put them on. As he did so, Cisco sat down next to him. He nervously tapped his foot at a quick pace.

"Nervous?" Ryuto asked. "A bit. First game being second in command, I feel the pressure. But you have to be feeling a lot more than me." Cisco answered. "I am nervous, but I feel like I don't deserve to wear the number." Ryuto said. "I'm pretty sure everyone here agreed to Clark's decision to put you in charge. Well, maybe not everyone." Cisco said glancing at Oliver.

With that glance, he saw something was different about Oliver. He was calm and was showed no signs of being nervous. It was an odd sight as Oliver usually boasted before a game.

"Oliver seems calmer than usual." Cisco said. "I hope that's a good thing." Ryuto added.

Cisco nodded in response. Ryuto then stood up with a look of determination on his face.

"Alright everyone, let's get ready. Our first game of the season as well as our first home game." Ryuto announced.

The team gathered by the door of the locker room that lead into the gym. They all took a deep breath as Ryuto opened the door. When the door opened, they all walked out together with a confident air around them. They gathered on the bench and prepared for their warm ups. The team formed two lines, one with balls, the other without and began to do lay ups. Ryuto watched each player do their lay ups, each had their own confidence in them. Ryuto smiled at the sight, even Barry seemed confident in himself . Ryuto was given a ball and he drove to the basket scoring a lay up. After a few minute of warm up, the referee blew his whistle and both teams returned to their benches. Waiting at their bench was Coach Wells and Coach Stein. The team stood in front of them and Coach Wells picked out five players. Those five sat down on the bench. The five players were Ryuto, Cisco, Oliver, Diggle, and Snart.

"Game time boys. Let's start with something simple. On offense move the ball around and if you have an opening attack. As for defense, start with man-to-man we'll adapt where necessary." Wells said.

"Right!" the team said in unison. "Go get 'em!" Wells exclaimed.

The five players stood up and walked onto the court. As they did so they were met with applause from the stands. Ryuto did a quick scan of the stands and saw his family watching as well as Caitlin. Seeing her he quickly turned away before she could wave to him. He let out a breath and turned back to the court. The teams met at the center as they set up for the jump ball. Diggle was jumping for the home team, while the center was doing it for the opponent. Ryuto stood next to the opponents small forward. The two boys were about the same height, but the opponent seemed fixated on Ryuto's grey hair. Ryuto rolled his eyes and turned back to the center. The referee then blew his whistle and tossed the ball into the air. Much to everyone's surprise, Diggle was not the first one to the ball, the opponent was. He slapped the ball towards the point guard. The point guard rushed down the court, with everyone close behind. Cisco managed to catch up with him and stopped his advance giving everyone enough time to set up for defense. The point guard did a quick scan of the court and then sent a pass to the small forward. Ryuto watched his opponent closely. His right leg twitched, but Ryuto remained put waiting for a movement. The boy then did a crossover and back, but it was not enough to break away from Ryuto. The small forward then passed to the center and John moved closer to defend. The center began to drive forwards, slightly pushing back John. The center then jumped, and his form was that of a hook shot. Diggle jumped to try to block it, but a hook shot if practically unblockable. The ball bounced off the back board and into the basket. Diggle let out a curse and jogged to defense. As they did so, Ryuto noticed Oliver stayed put at the half court line.

"Oliver, defense let's go." Ryuto called out.

Oliver simply smiled and called out for a pass. Cisco raised an eyebrow, but passed it to him since he was unguarded. Oliver caught the ball and squared up to the basket, setting up for a shot.

"Is this guy for real?" the small forward asked.

Ryuto could not answer him, not even he knew what Oliver was doing.

Oliver then jumped and released the ball. Everyone watched as the blew sailed through the air, in awe at how close it was reaching the basket. The ball then bounced off the back board and into the hoop. Everyone's eyes widened, Central City Middle School's in surprise while the opponent's in horror. The crowd burst into cheers at the sight. Ryuto turned to Oliver, he had a smile on his face.

"Didn't I tell you? I never miss, the distance doesn't matter" Oliver boasted as he pointed to himself with his thumb.

Ryuto continued to stare at Oliver, he never expect Oliver's range to extend all the way to the half court line. Using the shot to start the game threw everyone off. It took some time for everyone to register what Oliver had done. As the game continued, Oliver continued to shoot three's from the half court line. However, by the third quarter he was tired out and could barely jump. Coach Wells called for a substitution, but Oliver tried to fight it saying that he was fine. Coach Wells was in no mood to argue and forced Oliver off the court. In his place, Barry was put in. Barry walked onto the court timidly, but jogged when Ryuto called him over.

"Hey, don't feel nervous. Oliver gave us quite the lead. I don't plan on shortening it any time soon. When you get the ball, find an opening and attack the basket." Ryuto instructed.

Barry nodded in response. Before the game resumed, Coach Wells made another substitution. Snart was taken out and Kagami took his place. He walked up to Ryuto and Barry and punch his palm in determination.

"Let's do this." Kagami said enthusiastically.

Barry and Ryuto nodded and prepared to keep playing. The game resumed and everyone got into their positions. On offense, Cisco passed the ball to Barry. Barry caught the ball and squared up to the basket. His defender got into a defensive stance that was ready for a shot or a drive. Barry then began to dribble the ball and took step forwards causing the defender to stiffen. In that moment Barry burst past him and drove towards the basket. The center moved away from his mark to stop Barry, but Barry advanced the ball by passing to Diggle. Diggle caught the ball and scored an easy lay up. As the two boys jogged to defense, Diggle and Barry fist bumped. As the game continued, Central City Middle School continued to dominate on the court and the game ended in their victory. The team quickly celebrated on their bench before going over to salute the other team. In the locker room they celebrated louder giving each other high fives and the occasional hug. Ryuto noticed the Oliver was not taking part in the victory celebration. He was sitting in front of his locker apart from everyone. Ryuto let out a sigh and walked towards the blonde.

"That was impressive what you did out there today." Ryuto said.

Oliver looked up to see Ryuto standing next to him.

"Well, it was an attention grabber." Oliver said with a shrug. "When did you realize you could shoot from that distance?" Ryuto asked. "A few week ago." Oliver answered. "Not bad. You have to have quite the stamina to shoot from that range so many times." Ryuto said. "I've been practicing on my own time." Oliver replied turing away from Ryuto. "Wow, that surprises me." Ryuto said. "I started to shoot from there to prove I'm better than you, nothing more." Oliver said, abruptly standing.

Ryuto simply nodded and Oliver closed his locker before walking away.

"What's his deal?" a voice behind Ryuto asked.

Ryuto turned to see Cisco leaning against a locker with arms crossed across his chest.

"Nothing. We were talking about his half court short." Ryuto said turning to him. "I'll admit, that was pretty cool." Cisco said with a slight laugh. "Yeah, it was." Ryuto said.

Oliver sat out the next game as his legs were still recovering from shooting so many half court threes. In his place this time was Ronnie. Ronnie showed off his new skills after having personal training with Coach Stein. As the game went on, Ryuto saw just how much everyone's skills had improved. Cisco seemed to be able to predict what someone was going to do just by seeing a single footstep, Diggle would only become a bigger threat in the paint, Snart seemed unstoppable with his dribbling, and even Ronnie seemed practically unbeatable when he had the ball. Ryuto stared at his hand, he knew he had also gotten stronger since sixth grade but seeing everyone else he could not bring himself to believe that. He slowly jogged towards defense, as he did so he felt someone pat his back. He looked to his side to see Ronnie jogging past him with a smile. He then felt three others pat him on the back. Ryuto looked forwards to see his teammates and friends all with smiles on their faces, even Snart had one. Cisco then turned towards him followed by the others.

"We can't have our captain sulking, now can we?" Cisco asked placing his hands on his hips. "If you're down, that'll affect all of us." Ronnie said.

Diggle and Snart simply nodded towards him. Ryuto then gave a smile of his one.

"Thanks guys." Ryuto said.

With that Ryuto gained confidence again and prepared to keep playing. The game ended with another victory, which was celebrated by everyone. On their way home, Cisco walked with Ryuto and the two began to talk.

"Why were so out of it at the beginning of the game today?" Cisco asked. "It's nothing." Ryuto answered. "Dude, I know when something's bothering you." Cisco said raising an eyebrow. "I don't know, watching you guys today and seeing just how strong each of you have gotten made me feel like I haven't gotten any better." Ryuto explained. "You did not just say that. You? You not having gotten stronger is a load of bull crap. You're the strongest guy on the team. Why do you think Oliver said that he decided to shoot from half court?" Cisco asked. "To be better than me." Ryuto said. "Exactly. I don't know why you have that kind of mentality, but it's dumb. You're the strongest guy on our team and captain if anyone can handle that it's you." Cisco said using his finger to slightly push Ryuto back.

Ryuto gave a smile and a small laugh before answering.

"Thanks, Cisco." Ryuto said. "Now come on you promised me authentic Japanese food at your place tonight." Cisco said as he started to walk. "You really only think about food." Ryuto said rolling his eyes. "Ryuto, buddy, you got to realize that I'm a human trash can when it comes to food." Cisco said. "Well at least you're not eating candy." Ryuto said with a shrug. "Who says I'm not." Cisco said eating a pack of sour gummies. "Where do you hide those things?" Ryuto asked letting out a sigh.

As the season continued, everyone continued to get stronger. Barry, in particular, had greatly improved his defensive skills, due to one-on-one training with Coach Wells as well as playing one-on-one's with Ryuto. During each practice, Ryuto and Barry would have a race to see who was faster and Barry was always the winner.

"I'll beat you some day." Ryuto said panting. "I doubt that." Barry said smugly.

Due to his speed, Barry was getting the reputation of being the 'fastest man alive.' Barry took pride in the nick name and liked that he was known despite being new to the sport. Barry was not the only one with a reputation, the team itself was beginning to be known around the city for their overwhelming strength. Many team would give up playing during the first quarter knowing that winning was impossible. It seemed they were going to go on an undefeated streak again, and that is what happened. Central City Middle School had won the championship undefeated yet again after a victory against Tatsuya's team. During that game, Ryuto could see that Kagami and Tatsuya seemed to be distant to each other. He tried to ask them what was wrong, but neither of them have him an answer.

The season came to an end by late February, early March and the weather was getting warmer with each passing day. With that came the end of the school year. On the last day, everyone poured out of the school wanting to start summer vacation. Ryuto walked out of the school with Barry and Cisco talking about summer plans. Barry and Cisco said that they did not have any plans for leaving Central City, so they decided to hang out for most of the summer. As the neared the main gate, Ryuto looked to his side and saw Caitlin sitting under a tree looking at everyone walk by.

"Hey, guys, I'll catch you guys later." Ryuto said separating from them.

Barry and Cisco simply nodded and continued walking. Ryuto and Caitlin had barely talked since the year started, mostly from Ryuto's part. He felt weird whenever he was with her. They still sat at the same table for lunch, but besides that they never interacted. Ryuto built up his nerve and walked to her.

"Hey, Caitlin." Ryuto said.

Caitlin's head looked up and their eyes met. Ryuto tried his hardest to not break away from her gaze as his face turned red.

"Hey." she said.

Ryuto let out a breath and sat next to her down next to her. When he did so, she moved slightly away from him.

"I'm sorry." Ryuto said looking down.

Caitlin turned to him her blue eyes studied him.

"I know we barely talked and that's my fault. It's just that.." Ryuto said before trailing off. "Just, what?" Caitlin asked. "Since this year started I feel awkward whenever we're together. We've been friends since last year, so I'm sorry for just ignoring you for most of the year." Ryuto said.

He then abruptly stood up and bowed at practically a ninety degree angle.

"Will you forgive me? Can we still be friends?" Ryuto asked.

Caitlin then let out a small giggle, which turned into a laugh. Ryuto stood up straight, perplexed at what was happening.

"It's funny when your culture spontaneously appears, like when you bow." Caitlin said. "I don't know of that's a good thing or a bad thing." Ryuto said scratching his head. "Defiantly a good thing," Caitlin said collecting herself, "of course we're still friends. I'm just happy you explained to me what's going on, took awhile, but happy nonetheless."

"Thank, God." Ryuto said letting out a sigh. "So, what are you plans for the summer?" Caitlin asked standing up. "Practicing basketball and probably just goof off." Ryuto said with a shrug.

He saw as Caitlin began to walk towards the gate. She turned to him and gave him a smile.

"You coming?" she asked. "Where?" Ryuto asked. "I was going to head to mall. Meeting up with someone there. You can come if you'd like." Caitlin explained. "Uh, sure. Is the friend Cade? She's the only other girl I see you talk to besides us." Ryuto asked.

Caitlin simply nodded and motioned for him to follow.

"I'll call my mom as we walk." Ryuto said taking out his phone. "What about you, what are you summer plans?"

"I don't really know yet. These things are usually spur of the moment with my family, even though my dad keeps getting sicker." Caitlin said in a low voice. "Sorry to hear that. If there's anything I can do, just call me." Ryuto said.

"Thanks, Ryuto." Caitlin said with a smile. "So, back-to-back champions. How does that feel?"

Ryuto let out a laugh and began to explain to her everything that had happened during the season and what they had accomplished. The two friends continued to talk as they walked. Talking like if nothing had happened between them.

 **AN: And chapter 4 comes to a close. I liked writing this one, especially whenever Barry was on the court. Once again I apologize of things seemed rushed in this chapter, I'm trying to end this entire arc as soon as I can. Good news though, last chapter should be the final one of the arc. I hope you enjoyed Barry's introduction as much I enjoyed writing it. I know it seems that I'm doing and OCxCaitlin, but that is only going to happen for this arc; since in present time Ryuto has a girlfriend. With that stuff out of the way, if there's anything else you need answering write it in the reviews or PM me. I hope you enjoyed this chapter and stay tuned for the next. Remember to follow, favorite, and/or review if you haven't already.**

 **PS: I've been thinking about making a anime OP and possible an ED for this story. Since I can't animate/draw don't expect something like that. It'll probably be written what would go onscreen along with the song. If you guys want that feel free to tell me. I have some song ideas in my head, but if you have any suggestions feel free to tell me.**


	5. Chapter 5

**AN: Here we go with another chapter! I hope you enjoy this one, I had fun writing it, especially the ending. Remember, I do NOT own KnB or The Flash, I only own my character and the plot.**

Chapter 5

Origin Story Part 4

It was the start of yet another school year. However, this was the last year for nine students, who were also on the basketball team. They all knew it was their final season and that was what mattered to them. At the start of the school year, two veterans had moved on to high school Jay and Hartley. Jay went to a near by high school, one with almost the same name as the middle school, while Hartley went to a prestigious private high school. Despite the team knowing they were moving up, they were still sad to see them leave. Barry was especially sad when Jay was moving up, but Jay promised he would go see every match. Ryuto entered the school on a warm September morning and prepared for his last year of middle school. As he walked, Cisco and Barry jogged up to him. They three friends high fived each other and began to talk about what they had done during the summer.

"We saw _Wrath of Kahn_ so many times, I think I have the whole movie memorized." Barry said. "You have to admit it's a great movie." Cisco said pointing at Barry. "I've always been more of a _Star Wars_ fan than a _Star Trek_ fan." Ryuto added with a shrug. "I respect that, but _Star Trek_ has the edge." Cisco replied. "I think, I gotta go with Ryuto. There's just something about _Star Wars_ that makes it better." Barry said. "I thought you were going to back me up on this, dang it Barry." Cisco said in a higher pitch.

"You three a such nerds." a voice said behind them.

The three boys turned back to see Caitlin walking up behind them.

"Oh, and you aren't?" Cisco said. "I am, but in a different way than you guys." Caitlin said.

She joined the three boys as they walked into the school. They continued to talk about what they had done over the summer. Ryuto mostly played basketball and goofed off, playing video games or watching movies. Cisco and Barry had spent the most time together always doing something different. Caitlin, meanwhile, spent a lot of time with her family as her father continued to get sick. When they finished talking, Kagami walked up to them with a goofy smile.

"Hey guys." he said putting both of his hands behind his head. "What did you do during the summer, Taiga?" Barry asked. "Went to L.A. It's such a great place to be for the summer." Kagami said smiling. "Man, you get to go to L.A. practically every summer? You're parents must be loaded." Cisco said. "Actually, I live here with my mom. I go to L.A. to visit my dad, when he comes from Japan." Kagami said. "Taiga are your parent, you know…" Caitlin said trailing off. "Yeah, they are." Kagami said as his smile faded. "You never told us." Cisco said. "There wasn't a reason for you guys to know." Kagami said with a shrug. "Alright, guys that's enough. No need to grill him about it." Ryuto said. "He's right. Taiga, What's L.A. like? Is it really how everyone says it is?" Barry asked enthusiastically.

Kagami's expression changed when Barry asked him the question. His smile returned as he spoke about everything he did. They continued to talk until the bell rang and each of them went to their homerooms. This year Barry and Ryuto were in the same homeroom. They sat next to each other and continued to talk. The bell for the next class rang and the two boys went to their respective classes. During lunch, they, including Ronnie, sat together as they had done in the years prior. As they all sat arrived, they felt the emptiness from where Jay used to sit as something was missing from their group.

"Without Jay, it just feels weird to sit here." Cisco said.

Everyone nodded in agreement. They tried to fill the void left by Jay with conversations about what they expected form the year.

"I don't know about you guys, but I'm excited for graduation; even though that's really far away." Caitlin said. "Like you said, it's too far away to think about. But it's cool to know nonetheless." Ronnie echoed. "Can you guys believe that? Next year we're off to high school." Cisco said enthusiastically. "Well, you need to graduate first." Ryuto said.

The comment gain a snicker from everyone at the table. While Cisco glared at Ryuto.

"We all know I have the best grades at this table." Cisco boasted. "I don't think that's entirely true." Caitlin said. "Cait, just because you got one point higher than me on your average doesn't mean you have the best grades." Cisco replied. "I think it does." Ryuto said gaining a nod from everyone around him. "Of course you'd side with her." Cisco said turing to Ryuto.

Ryuto held up his hands in a defensive way as Cisco sent another glare his way.

"Relax, Cisco. We all have good grades. Well, except for Taiga." Ryuto said pointing at him. "What's that supposed to mean?" Kagami asked getting angry.

The table then began to laugh as Kagami began to shout insults and profanities. Ryuto's eyes the drifted to Jay's vacant seat. He imagined him sitting there at that moment laughing at the snarky comments or a joke. Ryuto smiled at the thought of it, knowing that Jay was still their best friend even though he was not there with them. After lunch, the school day continued as normal going to and from classes. After school, the six friends gathered at the main gate wondering what to do next.

"We could go grab some ice cream and then head to my house." Cisco suggested. "Whatever you guys decide, I can't go. I have family stuff." Caitlin said taking a step forwards. "Come on, Cait it'll be fun." Ronnie said. "I'm really sorry, but I just can't." Caitlin replied walking away.

"I'll go with her." Ryuto said. "Hey, Cait! Wait up!"

"You don't have to walk with me, Ryu." Caitlin said. "What kind of friend would I be to let you walk alone." Ryuto said with a smile.

"Fine." Caitlin said rolling her eyes. "But only to the bus stop."

"No problem." Ryuto said.

The two then began to walk towards the bus stop. Ryuto tried to not bring up the reason why she was heading house so early, but it was the only topic of conversation left to talk about.

"Is the reason you're leaving early because of your dad?" Ryuto asked.

Caitlin responded with a sad nod.

"Is it that bad?" Ryuto asked. "Can we please not talk about this? I know you're trying to help, but I just don't want to talk about it." Caitlin said with sadness in her tone. "I'll drop it, but if you need anything just call." Ryuto said. "Thanks, Ryu." Caitlin said.

The two stopped at the bus stop, but the bus had yet to arrive. They waited in silence until the bus finally came to a stop. Ryuto and Caitlin stood up and Ryuto watched as Caitlin walked away. She then stopped and turned back to Ryuto.

"Is something wrong?" Ryuto asked.

Caitlin did not respond, but she quickly walked over to him and gave him a hug. The hug caught Ryuto by surprise, he did not know how to properly respond until a few seconds later when he wrapped his arms around her. The two then let go, both of their faces had turned bright red.

"Thank you, Ryu." she said softly.

Ryuto nodded and watched as she boarded the bus. When the door closed, he watched it drive away shooting exhaust into his face. He began to cough, using his hands to disperse the smoke. He then turned on his heel and began to walk towards his house. The next day, Ryuto walked towards his locker. As he did so, he saw all the new sixth graders rush past him. He smiled at the sight, it felt like he was sixth grader just the other day. Another kid bolted by, but he tripped over his own foot and crashed onto the floor. Ryuto turned and kneeled down to help the boy. The boy wore a red hoodie and dark jeans. He pushed his hood off his head as he rose off the ground. The boy had short light brown hair, but dark drown eyes.

"You okay?" Ryuto asked. "Yeah, I'm fine. I should be more careful." the boy said with a laugh. "Perhaps you should. You should pass by the nurses office, just in case." Ryuto said. "Nah, I'm fine." the boy said.

The boy then turned his head to Ryuto and his eyes widened in awe. Ryuto moved slightly back, not expecting to get such a reaction from the boy.

"Woah, you're Ryuto!" the boy exclaimed. "You know of me?" Ryuto asked. "Anyone who plays basketball in elementary school knowns of you." the boy answered. "So you place basketball?" Ryuto asked. "Yeah. I saw you place once and I decided that I wanted to be just as strong as you." the boy said getting starry eyed.

Ryuto was taken aback. He had never met someone that looked up to him, other than his brother. The looked at him with genuine admiration in his eyes. Ryuto let out a small laugh.

"What's your name?" Ryuto asked. "I'm Roy Harper, and I'm the best basketball player in my neighborhood." Roy said. "Well, I look forward to seeing you at the tryouts." Ryuto said placing his hand on Roy's head.

Ryuto ruffled the boy's hair and the boy smiled. Ryuto stood up and began to walk away from Roy.

"I won't disappoint you!" Roy called out.

Ryuto simply waved at the boy, not facing him; but his face had a smile one that he rarely had. As he walked into his homeroom he sat down on his desk, the smile still plastered on his face. Barry took notice and tilted his head in confusion.

"Everything okay, Ryuto?" Barry asked. "Yeah, everything's fine." Ryuto replied.

Everything went smoothly for the beginning of the year, everyone was studying until basketball season came. When November came that was what Ryuto and his friends could only think about. Ryuto was still captain since last season, so he went to a meeting with Coach Wells, Coach Stein, and Felicity to discuss the four members that were going to be chose beforehand.

"We got a lot to work with this year," Wells said, "Ryuto, is Cisco still going to be your vice-captain."

Ryuto simply nodded 'yes' in response.

"Okay, so that already makes two. Who else are we going to pick?" Wells asked. "I think Mr. Allen is one of the best candidates. His abilities last year prove that." Stein answered. "Coach Stein is right. Barry showed the most improvements out of any player last year." Felicity added. reading through a stat sheet. "I agree with them." Ryuto said.

"That's one. Who else?" Wells asked writing Barry's name down.

The office went silent after that. Felicity looked through her paper finding someone that could chosen. Coach Stein put hand to his forehead in a pensive state. Ryuto spun around a few times in his chair before stopping. He looked at last years teams roster and his fell immediately on one name. Ryuto sucked in his breath and let it out, he did not like who came to his mind.

"What about Oliver? Shooting from half court shows just how much he's improved." Ryuto suggested. "That's a fair point Mr. Rishihara, but his personality get's in the way of teamwork and team building." Stein said. "He's been more accepting of teamwork, kinda." Ryuto said and was not sure if even he believed what he said. "I'm going to have to side with Ryuto on this one. Oliver's skills outweigh his personality. In any case on the court, he's still stubborn but is more rational in terms of his court sense." Wells said. "Anything to say Ms. Smoak." Stein said turning to the blonde.

Felicity quickly adjusted his glasses and look through her stat sheets.

"He's definitely improved since sixth grade and his three pointer percentage is practically 100%." Felicity said. "Well, looks like we have out fourth player." Wells said writing down Oliver's name.

 _I better apologize to Taiga at some point_ Ryuto thought.

The four then exited the office and went their separate ways. The following day was the first day of the tryouts. The players that were already selected were informed of their position. Barry was beyond surprised and happy when he was told. Oliver had the same attitude as before, but seemed angry that Barry was also chosen. On the day of the tryouts, Ryuto saw many of those who played the year prior trying out. He gave a quick look around and saw Roy stretching on near some another sixth grader. Ryuto walked towards them and the boy he did not know seemed surprised that he was walking towards them. Roy then turned back and when he saw Ryuto his eyes lit up in admiration.

"Ryuto!" Roy said surprised. "Hey, glad to see you here." Ryuto said with a smile. "Of course, I wouldn't miss it." Roy said. "What about you? What's your name?" Ryuto asked the other boy. "My name is Wally West. It's so cool to finally meet you." Wally answered. "West, huh? Are you related to Iris West?" Ryuto asked. "Yeah, we're cousins." Wally answered. "Well, Wally, it's nice to meet you and try your best; both of you." Ryuto said walking away.

"He is so much cooler in person." Wally said excitedly. "I told you he was." Roy replied.

Soon after, Ryuto got everyone's attention and gave the same speech he did the year prior: introducing himself and Cisco, and the about four spots already taken and that they had to work hard for the remaining eight. Then Coach Wells and Coach Stein introduced themselves and directed everyone to their stations. It was the same drill as the two prior years that tested fundamentals. Ryuto watched each player closely, even those that he played with the year before. He saw that most of the returning players had improved and that the new players all had good fundamentals. He watched Roy doing the drill and he seemed to have the best fundamentals from the sixth graders and was quick on his feet. After everyone group went to each station the tryout ended and everyone dispersed. Ryuto walked over to Coach Wells, Coach Stein, and Felicity to discuss all the candidates.

"Who stood out for you, Mr. Rishihara?" Stein asked. "Roy seemed to be the most well rounded in my opinion." Ryuto answered. "He was really good at jump shots, barely missed one." Felicity said looking through her notes. "Looks like we have another Oliver on our hands." Wells said. "Minus the personality." Ryuto added. "We'll just have to keep looking." Stein said. "I think that's good for tonight. We have another go at it tomorrow." Wells said.

Everyone nodded and dispersed. Ryuto grabbed his back and began to walk to his house. The next day, everyone gathered at their usual lunch table always changing the topic of conversation on the flip of dime. During one conversation, Ryuto tuned it out his mind was racing about other things. He began to wonder what the basketball team would be like once they all moved up to high school. He then shook his head trying to get rid of the thoughts. _The season just started, I can't think like that_ Ryuto thought.

"You okay?" Caitlin's voiced called out.

Ryuto quickly shook his head, her voice taking him out of his own thoughts.

"Yeah, just thinking." Ryuto said. "About?" Caitlin asked. "Nothing important." Ryuto said forcing a smile. "Just like you told me, I'm here to talk if you need it." Caitlin said. "Thanks, Cait." Ryuto replied with a genuine smile.

During the next two tryouts, Ryuto began to notice more and more how everyone had improved since sixth grade. Along with that, almost everyone was taller than him. Diggle had almost a complete head over him, Barry just inched him in height, Kagami was the same as Barry along with Oliver. Snart also gained some height, but both he and Ryuto were almost the same. Mick seemed like he towered over, but Ryuto had always felt that the man, because he defiantly not a boy, towered over him. The only person shorter than him was Cisco and he felt the same way as Ryuto, wanting to get taller.

After the last tryout was over, the Coaches, Ryuto, and Felicity gathered in the office and began to discuss on who should join the team. It was obvious that the group of players that had been part of the team since sixth grade, which meant that there were only three spots left. Ryuto threw in Roy's name, which garnered a positive response from the others. Roy had been interesting to watch. He had somewhat of a commanding presence on the court and Oliver had taken a liking towards the boy, teaching him on how to be more accurate with his jump shots. Coach Wells then put out Wally's name. He too had a positive response. His abilites were compared to that of Jay's, but not as good as Barry's. Finally a third member was picked and the final roster was decided.

Friday was an interesting day. At the lunch table, nobody talked about the basketball team or the final roster. Whenever Ryuto brought up the topic, someone would say that they were confident they made the team. Ryuto knew this to be true as most, if not all, of the team was made up of players that had been part of the team since sixth grade. When Ryuto asked what they thought their odds of winning the championship again, he got an answer he was expecting.

"We're going to win again, duh." Cisco said confidently. "No doubt about that." Ronnie added.

"What's got you so worked up anyways? It's not like we have trouble defeating the other teams." Kagami asked. "It's just that, you guys seem too confident. It's good to believe in your abilites, but at the same time we can't forget about the possibility of loosing." Ryuto explained. "I get where your coming from, Ryuto, but they're right. No one has shown that they can stand up to our offense." Barry said. "It's good to be confident, but just don't be too confident." Ryuto advised. "Say that to Oliver." Cisco said.

The comment drew out a laugh from everyone at the table, even Ryuto could not help but snicker a bit. He turned back to his food and continued to eat. When the bell rang, Ryuto threw away his trash and started to walk to his next class. As he did so, Caitlin walked up beside him.

"It's good that you're being cautious with their confidence. It could lead to an eventual loss." Caitlin said. "I'm more worried about what overconfidence will lead to." Ryuto replied. "What do you mean?" Caitlin asked. "It could lead to everyone beginning to play by themselves, completely forgetting team work. That can't happen, just when Oliver is beginning to be a team player." Ryuto answered. "That makes sense. I just don't want to see you guys fall apart." Caitlin said. "Don't worry, Cait, we won't." Ryuto said with a smile.

When the final school bell rang, Ryuto walked over to where the roster was posted. He saw a small group of boys looking over the sheet and being disappointed when their names were not there. Ryuto felt bad for those who could not join the team, not because they could not make it, but because the roster was mostly filled with those from previous years. There was really little new players. However, he was happy seeing the three boys that did make it join the team. They all had happy looks on their faces and each of them radiated excitement. With that sight in his mind, Ryuto turned on his heel and began to walk home.

Official practices had begun and soon after that the team had their first game. As it had been the two years prior, the first game was a home game. The team prepared in the locker room, doing their own things to try to remove the nervousness. As they gathered at the exit onto the court, Ryuto turned to address the team.

"Okay guys, first game and it's a home game. Let's show those who came to see us why we're as strong as we are, together."

"Yeah!" the team said in unison.

Ryuto then opened the door to the court and the team entered, showing as much confidence as they could. The cheers form the spectators was loud and there were many there to watch. The team gather and began to warm up alternating between lay ups and jump shots. After a few minutes of warm up, the referee blew their whistle and both team went to their benches. The team stood in front of Coach Wells, who was in front of the bench. He picked out five players, Ryuto, Cisco, Oliver, Diggle and Kagami and those five sat on the bench. Coach Wells then kneeled down in front of them and went over the game plan.

"As long as you box out on defense and pass the ball around on offense, you'll have no trouble winning." Wells said.

The five players nodded and stood up from the bench. They walked onto the court and greeted their opponents. On the bench, Coach Wells turned to Barry.

"Barry, I want to stay warm. You're going to go in for Ryuto." Wells said. "Why?" Barry asked. "I've noticed you and Cisco have a good dynamic, I want you to practice it in games." Wells explained.

Barry nodded a response. "Good. Now pay attention." Wells said turing back to the court.

After the jump ball, Oliver scored a quick three putting them ahead early. On defense, Cisco managed to read the other point guards movements and intercepted a pass. He threw the ball down the court to Ryuto who scored a lay up. As the first quarter continued, Central City Middle School continued to dominate, each player showing off their abilities. The buzzer rang and the first quarter was over with Central City Middle School ahead by a large margin of 15 points. The five starters sat down and took deep breaths.

"Great work out there guys. Ryuto and Oliver, I want you two to rest this quarter. Barry and Roy will be going in for you." Wells said. "Wait, me?" Roy asked surprised. "Time to make your debut, Harper. Show them what I've taught you." Oliver encouraged.

The words Oliver used may have sounded selfish, but he expressed genuine encouragement to the boy and that left everyone surprised.

"Yes, Oliver. I won't let you or Ryuto down." Roy said. "Show them what you got, Roy." Ryuto said with a thumbs up.

The buzzer then sounded and the five players walked onto the court. Ryuto sat back on the bench and let his stretch out in front of him.

"I didn't know you and Roy had such a relationship." Ryuto said to Oliver. "Well, I see myself in him." Oliver replied. "That can't be a good thing." Ryuto said. "I meant in terms as a player. No one can be like me off the court." Oliver replied with a sly smile. "Right." Ryuto said.

Turing back to the game, he saw Ryuto score a three pointer widening the point gap. On the next offense, Ryuto saw first had the team plays Cisco and Barry had been working on.

For Cisco as he moved to pass it to Diggle, his vision flashed and everything went blue. He saw his pass being released and being cut off by the opposing center and recovered by the small forward. He could see Barry move away from his mark and to an open option. Cisco's vision returned to normal and he corrected himself in a split second and passed the ball towards Barry, who scored a lay up. The crowd went ecstatic on seeing Cisco's quick thinking, saying that Cisco could 'see the future.' As the two boys jogged to defense, they fist bumped each with a smile on their faces. On the next offensive, Cisco passed the ball to Diggle. Diggle could not into a position to shoot, and saw Roy breaking away from his mark. Diggle passed towards Roy and Roy set up for a shot. He released and the ball sailed through the air until it entered the basket, scoring a three. The second quarter continued like that, a combination of team plays by Cisco and Brry plus Roy's threes. As the game continued, it was apparent that the home team was not going to loose. The game ended with the opponent scoring a buzzer beater, but it was not enough to close the point gap. With their first win, Central City Middle School celebrated loudly; high fives and fist bumps all around.

The first half of the season continued with a winning streak, and all the victories were a wide margin. During their last game before the holiday break, the were barely defended towards the end; the opponent had simply given up. In the locker room after the game, everyone was silent they did not know how to interpret winning with the opposing team putting up no effort.

"I know it's happened before, but this time it feels different." Cisco said clutching his shirt. "I feel unsatisfied." Ronnie said. "It's probably 'cause we're too strong." Kagami inferred. "What the point in winning if it isn't fun?" Barry asked.

No one answered Barry, everyone remained silent. It was an odd feeling for Ryuto as well, he had never felt unsatisfied with a game. He looked towards his hand and saw it trembling, he longed for a game that pushed him. A game where he could go all out and his opponents would too. He closed his hand and stood up.

"We can't let this go to our head. We need to keep playing like we're going to lose." Ryuto said. "What's the point, if we're going to win anyways?" Ronnie asked. "I have an idea to make things fun; how about we play and whoever scores the most points at the end of the match wins?" Oliver asked. "That doesn't sound half bad." Cisco said.

"No! We are now doing that! If we do, we lose out teamwork and focus on our individual skill. We all have great talents, but if we're too prideful of them we'll not be a team any more. Just a group of individuals." Ryuto argued.

"I say we trust the Captain. I'm sure we'll come across a team that will make us play harder than ever before." Barry said.

Everyone gave small nods acknowledging Ryuto and Barry's words. They did a quick break down and exited the locker room. Ryuto walked towards his home with Barry close behind, Ryuto found out they lived relatively close to each other.

"Thanks for backing me up." Ryuto said. His breath could be seen because of the cold.

"No problem. I believe you, I know we'll find a team that will make us go all out." Barry said confidently. "I like the confidence. Tatsuya's school was the only one that we could always have a good match against, and now that Tatsuya is in high school, it just doesn't feel the same when we play them." Ryuto explained. "He was good." Barry said. "I just hope no one loses their sense of teamwork." Ryuto said.

During the break, Ryuto spent his days practicing. His family had plans to visit Japan during the break, but something happened at his father's job and they were forced to stay in Central City. Ryuto was anxious to visit Japan again. He wanted to see the friends he made there, Aomine and Takao, and see how much they improved in basketball. Ryuto regularly talked with Takao through text and the same with Aomine, but as of late the two had not spoken. At the park, Ryuto continued to shoot baskets, practicing lay ups and jump shots. The air was cold and snow had fallen everywhere so not many people were out, but Ryuto took the time to dig out the court and play basketball. When Barry saw him shoveling one day, he said that Ryuto was a basketball junkie since he was always playing on the court and nothing would stop him.

A few weeks later, school stared up again, and practices resumed. Everyone seemed to slowly get back to the grind of practices, they still lazily jogged around the court. During the second seek, everyone was back in regular form; running up and down the court, doing jump shot drill, dribbling drills, lay up drills, etc. When the first game came, everyone seemed prepared and wanted to get playing. When the game began, their anxiousness got the better of them and the team began to play sloppily. At the end of the first quarter they were ahead by only two points. After Coach Wells gave the team a stern talk, the team began to play as they normally did. The game ended in yet another victory.

The season continued like that, victory after victory. The victories continued to be with increasing point margins. In their most recent game, they had won by twenty points and in the one after that by thirty. When the end of January came, the team was undefeated yet again and was poised to take the championship. For practices, some players began to show up less and less. Oliver was one player everyone was quick to notice that he was not showing up, not even Diggle had a good excuse for why Oliver would not come. During a school day, Ryuto saw Oliver walking down the hall way chatting up two girls. Ryuto rolled his eyes and called him out.

"Hey, Oliver!"

Oliver looked up and let out a disgruntled sigh. He told the girls that he would continue to talk to them later and they walked off, but eyed Ryuto as they passed him.

"What do you want?" Oliver asked. "You're not showing up to practice. Why is that?" Ryuto asked crossing his arms. "What's the point?" Oliver replied. "What's the point? You can't just skip out on practice 'cause you feel like it." Ryuto said. "I don't know why you're so worked up, playoff are starting and we're sure to win it all again. What's the point of practicing if we're just going to win?" Oliver asked. "The point of practice is to get better as a team." Ryuto answered. "Yeah, well, our teamwork is solid. So, there's no reason for me to be going to practice."Oliver said starting to walk. "I better see you at practice today." Ryuto called out.

Oliver simply waved at Ryuto, not bothering with a response. When practice came, he saw Oliver shooting three's from the half court line. Ryuto did not give a reaction to seeing him and simply walked away. He surveyed everyone at practice and noticed Snart and Mick were not there.

"Hey, Cisco. Where are Snart and Mick?" Ryuto asked.

"How should I know?" Cisco said with a shrug. "Plus good luck convincing them to come. Just standing next to Mick intimidates me."

Ryuto had to agree with that statement, Mick had that about him he was always intimidating even when he was not trying to be.

"You do have a point there." Ryuto replied.

As practices continued, Oliver would sometimes come to practice other times he would skip. Snart and Mick barely showed up to practice. They would go to one practice and then the games, but no other practice. Ryuto understood their mentality, but he wanted the team to stay together and they were not making things easy. Finally the championship arrived, Central City Middle School had become famous for their unbelievable record in the last three years. The gym was packed with people, not only that but several news teams as well were broadcasting the game. Ryuto gulped loudly as he saw everything, it was quite unnerving. After a quick warm up, the team gathered on the benches and prepared a strategy.

"I know all of this is unnerving, but just play you always do." Wells said.

Everyone nodded and the five starters, Cisco, Ryuto, Kagami, Oliver, and Diggle, walked onto the court. The five greeted the players from the other team and set up for the jump ball. The referee blew his whistle and threw the ball into the air. Diggle and the opposing center jumped into the air. Diggle reached the ball first and hit towards Oliver. Oliver caught it and quickly set up for a shot. He jumped and released the ball. The ball bounced off the backboard and into the hoop. The opposing team looked at the shot in surprise, while for the rest it was normal occurrence. The crowd then exploded in cheers at Oliver's shot. Oliver took the attention in stride as he jogged towards defense. The rest of the team simply gave a sigh as they set up for defense.

"He's so unnecessarily flashy." Cisco mumbled. "Coming from the guy who can 'see the future,' that's rich." Kagami said putting air quotes on his words.

Cisco simply rolled his eyes and ignored the comment. As the first quarter continued, Central City Middle School dominated. Their defense was impenetrable, both from inside the paint and outside, and the offense was unstoppable. On one play, with the clock winding down, Ryuto was given the ball and his defender moved closer to him. Ryuto crossed over to his right and then back to his left. In that instant, he disappeared from in front of his defender and scored a lay up. The crowd called him out on his move, praising the Lightning Crossover. Ryuto did not like the attention he was given, it made him feel out of place and he did not like to stand out.

"Dude, I thought you were going to use the ankle breaker." Cisco said. "No reason to. I'll use it if we're pushed into a corner." Ryuto replied.

Unbeknownst to them, the opposing team heard what the two boys were talking about. They looked towards Ryuto in fear, he already had an unstoppable attack now he had another one.

"I can't believe it, he can ankle break us?" one player asked. "Can we even win?" another asked.

The first quarter ended with Central City Middle School having a 15 point lead. During the huddle, Coach Wells switched out most of the starters; he only kept Cisco. After the break, four new players walked onto the court; Mick, Snart, Barry, Cisco, and Roy. Seeing the group of boys, Roy looked out of place, but he had earned his spot on the team because of how hard he practiced.

"Dude, if you keep staring at her people are going to think things." Cisco said to Barry. "What do you mean? I wasn't looking anywhere." Barry replied nervously. "Sure, bro. You're worse at hiding stuff than Ryuto." Cisco said.

The second quarter began, and Central City Middle School did not let up on the pressure. Barry and Cisco continued to be one of the best combinations on the team, Roy seemed like he could surpass Oliver with his threes, Snart and Mick were the same as they always were: threatening. The game continued, and Coach Wells made more substitutions letting everyone get a chance to play, and by the fourth quarter it was clear who the victor was going to be. The game ended with a buzzer beater three from Oliver widening the score gap to 30 at the last second. The crowd was ecstatic and were cheering as loud as they could after witnessing such a victory. The two team saluted each other and the first place winners gathered together to take a photo with the trophy. The team gathered in the locker room and continued to celebrate. Everyone was either hugging someone, or high fiving another. Ryuto had a smile on his face watching everyone celebrate, but he felt as if it was not a real victory. Their opponents had given up at the beginning of the first quarter and were no longer playing to win. Winning that way did not sit well with him, but nonetheless he celebrated with his teammates as it was his last year playing basketball in middle school.

The following days were mostly uneventful. Classes resumed as they normally did and there was no longer basketball practice. On one day; however, the basketball team was called to the court by Coach Wells and everyone was gathered there after school.

"I just want to give one last congratulations for winning undefeated three times in a row. You guys did amazing. Before I give you some news, Ryuto is going to speak." Wells said.

"Thanks, Coach Wells. Well guys, it's over and we won." Ryuto said.

His statement was quickly followed by cheers from his teammates.

"I know it's still exciting, but we have to remember more than half of this team is moving to high school. So in light of that, I want you three to keep things going." Ryuto said facing the three newest players. "I want you guys to be leaders. That said, I'm going to name Roy as next years captain. You've worked hard and it seemed like the best choice."

Everyone began to cheer again and crowded around Roy, ruffling his hair or giving him light punches in the arm. Ryuto smiled at the sight, he was definatly going to miss playing basketball in middle school.

"Nice words, Ryuto. Now for my announcement." Wells said gaining everyone's attention. "I have some bad news to share with you, Coach Stein and I will not be returning to coach middle school."

There was a collective, disappointed 'aww' from the three newer players. While the older players were caught by surprise and their eyes widened.

"There is good news, though." Coach Stein said. "Indeed, we'll be moving up with all of you to high school and we're going to be your coaches for another four years." Wells said with a smile.

This time the older players let out a happy cheer.

"Now, now settle down." Stein said. "I know you're all happy about this, but get through middle school first. When we meet again in high school, then you can cheer." Wells said with a laugh.

"Right." everyone said in unison.

After that, school continued normally. Ryuto sat with his friends at their lunch table, there was always something new to talk about. During the remaining months of school, Cadence began to sit with them more often. She and Barry seemed to have developed a strong relationship, despite being different in terms of personalities.

"Well what do you know, Cadence and Barry." Ryuto said. "To think they would hit it off." Caitlin added. "Yeah, I'm just as surprised as you." Ryuto said.

When March rolled around, the school had a short break. At the beginning of the break, his parents dropped big news on him.

"You want me to go where?" Ryuto asked. "Ryuto." his mother said sternly. "Sorry." Ryuto said switching to Japanese. "Just like your mother said, we want you to go to Japan for just a semester of high school. Trust us it'll work out." his father said. "But I can't just leave my friends." Ryuto argued. "You won't. It's just for a semester. Once your done you can come right back." his mother said. "At least I could see Tao, Aomine, Satsuki, and Seijūrō again." Ryuto mumbled. "That's the spirit. Plus we have a flight for Monday to go to Japan." his mother said happily. "Wait, what?" Ryuto asked. "Yes, we need to start looking at high schools now. I've gone ahead and made a list of schools where your friends will be going as well as schools that are near by to them." his mother answered handing him a paper. "All these schools are in Tokyo." Ryuto said. "All except for one. Seijūrō is going to be attending a school in Kyoto. It's very prestigious, so it won't be easy to get in." his father said. "Okay, I'll give them a look." Ryuto said.

On Monday, Ryuto was on an early flight to Tokyo. While there, he visited schools as well as his friends. However, some of his friends had changed. They no longer had the same fire when the played basketball, it was now as if basketball was just something to do and Ryuto hated that. On his way back, he decided on what high school he was going to attend; one where he could play against them in a basketball game.

When he returned to Central City, something had felt different. He returned a few days after school started, but he quickly noticed what was different: Kagami was nowhere to be seen. When he arrived at the lunch table, everyone was happy to see him. They somehow had not noticed before that he had returned.

"It's nice to see you guys too, but where's Taiga?" Ryuto asked. "He didn't tell you?" Cisco asked. "Tell me what?" Ryuto replied. "After a streetball game against Tatsuya, he booked it to Japan. He just left with out a word." Barry said.

Ryuto stopped moving, even though he was standing. Barry's words replayed in his mind, Kagami had left and said nothing. Sat down at the table his eyes were still wide, he could still not process what he had been told.

"You were in Japan, did you see him?" Ronnie asked. "No, he didn't tell me he was leaving." Ryuto said monotonously. "We tried talking to Tatsuya, but he won't say anything. Maybe if he talked to you, he could say something." Cisco said. "I'll give it a shot." Ryuto replied.

Ryuto did not notice that Caitlin was watching him closely. She had a worried look on her face and when the bell rang she followed Ryuto to his next class.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

Ryuto stopped walking and turned to her. His eyes seemed different than they usually were, they were cold. Despite their color his eyes were always warm to look at, it was what she like the most about him.

"I'm fine, why?" Ryuto asked. "No you're not. You're always smiling, and laughing with everyone but today you just seem sad." Caitlin answered in a worried tone. "I'm fine, Cait. Just the news about Taiga shook me up a little." Ryuto said.

For the first time, Caitlin saw how tall Ryuto really was. He walked over to him and placed his hand on her head. He had a smile on his face, but it was not his usual smile it was obvious he was forcing it.

"If you ever need to talk, just come to me. I'll listen." Caitlin said. "Thank you." Ryuto said removing his hand from her head. "You're not alone, Ryu, you've got friends who are willing to listen." Caitlin said.

Ryuto simply continued to put on his fake smile and walked away. As he turned away from her his smile faded and tears began to fall from his eyes. The final bell rang just as thunder was heard. It was a loud bang sound that caused everyone to jump from their seats.

"Now, now, just calmly exit the school and everyone go home." the teacher said.

Ryuto quickly stood up from his chair and darted out of the classroom. When he exited the school, he began to sprint towards Tatsuya's house. As he did so, rain began to fall and soaked Ryuto. He paid no mind to it and continued to run. When he got to Tatsuya's house, he knocked on the door loudly. He heard the scurrying of feet before the door was opened. He was greeted by Tatsuya, his single visible eye widened in surprise.

"Ryuto? What are you doing here?" Tatsuya asked. "Why? Why did Taiga leave? What happened between you two?" Ryuto asked loudly.

Tatsuya's expression quickly changed from surprise to frustration.

"You want to know what happened, we made a bet during our last streetball match and he backed out." Tatsuya said. "And what so important that it caused Taiga to leave?" Ryuto asked. "We put our title as brothers on the line. I felt that if I lost to him again I could no longer call him a brother." Tatsuya answered. "Are you even hearing yourself? Brothers can be rivals. Isn't the point of having a brother is seeing him become better than you? From where I'm standing this is all about you and your pride!" Ryuto yelled out.

Tatsuya said nothing in response. He simply brought up his fist and punched Ryuto square in the jaw. The punch caused Ryuto to stumble backwards into the pouring rain. Ryuto rubbed his cheek and spit out a bit of blood.

"What would know about any of it? Taiga didn't ask you to be his brother, he asked me." Tatsuya said angrily. "I doubt you're that anymore." Ryuto said quietly.

He stood up and began to walk away from Tatsuya. Tears began to fall form his face, though he was not sure if it was indeed tears or just the rain.

"Where did Taiga go, anyways?" Tatsuya asked. "I'm sure you'll find out." Ryuto said not facing him.

Ryuto got to his house soaking wet. He set aside his backpack, luckily nothing inside had gotten wet, and began to walk towards his room. He felt soggy, his feet splashed in his shoes and his clothes felt heavy. He entered the bathroom and turned on the shower to hot water. He took off his clothes and stepped inside. He let the hot water soak him, even though he was already wet. The heat felt nice, reminding him of Japanese hot springs. He smiled at the memory, but tears began to fall again.

 _Why did everything change so fast?_ Ryuto thought.

He wiped away the tears and turned off the water. He stepped out of the shower, wrapped a towel around his waist and walked towards his room. He put on his pajamas and threw himself onto his bed. Once again, he began to cry. In a span of one day, he cried more than he had even in his life.

Ryuto did not go to school for the remainder of the week. He could not bring himself to face his friends in the shape he was in. His parents tried his best to comfort him, but he still felt an immense sadness in his heart. The following Monday, Ryuto arrived at school with as much happiness as he could muster. He had decided the night before to tell everyone what he was going to do for high school. During lunch, he sat down next to his friends listening to everyone talk. Despite missing Kagami, the scene felt normal and that normalcy brought a genuine smile to his face.

"What about you, Ryuto? What do you think?" Cisco asked breaking Ryuto from his thoughts.

"Dude, you got to be paying attention." Cisco said. "Sorry, I was, uh, daydreaming." Ryuto said. "Bullcrap." Ronnie said in a sing-song from.

Ryuto laughed at the comment, but composed himself.

"Actually, there's something I want to tell you guys." Ryuto said nervously. "Don't keep us waiting." Cisco said impatiently. "The thing is, it isn't exactly good news." Ryuto replied. "Whatever it is, we'll understand." Caitlin said. "Thanks, Cait." Ryuto said giving her a smile, which she returned.

"To make a long story shot, I'm going to Japan for a semester of high school." Ryuto said.

"You're doing what?" everyone said in unison. "Guys, calm down. It's only for a semester, then I'm coming right back," Ryuto said, "unless something changes."

"Dude, you can't just book it too." Cisco said. "I wasn't my decision my parents want me to do this and after visiting recently I want to do it too." Ryuto replied.

The table remained silent after what Ryuto had said.

"Guys, I'm not leaving for a while. The Japanese school year is really different from here. I won't be starting until you guys are almost done with your first year of high school." Ryuto said.

Everyone let out a sigh of relief at what Ryuto said.

"Don't scare us like that." Cisco said placing a hand on his shoulder. "Trust me guys, I wasn't going to leave and not say anything. I was just waiting for the right moment to say it." Ryuto explained. "Whatever the case, I hope you come back soon." Barry said happily. "Thanks, Barry." Ryuto said.

The remaining school months went by quickly and soon it was the beginning of May and finals were on their was and so was graduation. All the eight graders were scrambling trying to balance studying while figuring stuff out for the party. Ryuto calmly faced the situation, but his friends were just like all the others: panicking.

"How can you be so calm?" Cisco asked. "I just don't let things clutter." Ryuto answered shrugging. "What's the supposed to mean?" Cisco asked panicked. "Dude, just study in calm manner. No need to panic." Ryuto answered. "But how am I supposed to do that and figure out what to wear for the dance after graduation?" Cisco asked. "Wow, you're actually worried about what you're going to where?" Ryuto replied. "Yeah, dude. I got to impress the girl I'm asking to go with." Cisco said running a hand through his hair. "How about you worry about tests first then about girls." Ryuto said patting Cisco on the back. "That's easy for you to say, you already have someone to go with." Cisco said pouting.

At the comment, Ryuto's face turned bright red.

"What makes you say that?" Ryuto asked nervously. "Dude, you're not subtle at all." Cisco answered. "I'm subtle." Ryuto argued. "Dude, the only person less subtle than you is Barry." Cisco replied. "Barry is defiantly not subtle." Ryuto echoed.

"How about we study together?" Ryuto asked changing the subject. "Sure, man, group studying is always better." Cisco answered.

The two boys spent the few days before finals studying, alternating houses each day of the week. On the Monday of the first test, Cisco seemed like he had not slept in months.

"You okay, Cisco?" Ryuto asked. "I need a coffee." Cisco grumbled. "Can't help you there." Ryuto said with a laugh.

"Hey, guys! Ready for the test?" Barry's voice called out. "Barry, please lower your voice." Cisco said. "Sorry." Barry said holding up his hands.

Cisco then walked ahead of them, claiming he was going to look for coffee.

"Does he even like coffee?" Barry asked. "I don't have a clue." Ryuto answered with a shrug. "So, are you ready for the test?" Barry asked. "As ready as I'll ever be." Ryuto answered.

Before the bell rang, Ryuto found Caitlin reading through her notes. He smiled slightly at the sight. He then began to walk towards her.

"Last minute cramming?" Ryuto asked.

Caitlin looked up to see Ryuto smiling down at her. She returned the smile as she closed her notebook.

"It doesn't hurt to study a bit last minute." Caitlin said standing up. "It could actually." Ryuto rebutted. "Well, English is my worst subject, surprisingly." Caitlin said. "Don't you have the best grade in the class?" Ryuto asked. "Your point?" Caitlin asked with a tilt of her head. "Forget it." Ryuto said.

Ryuto opened his mouth to say something else, but the bell rang preventing him to say anything.

"We should get going." Caitlin said putting her bag on her shoulders.

"Actually, there's something I want to ask you." Ryuto said. "Sure, just make it quick." Caitlin said. "Want to go to dance with me?" Ryuto asked nervously.

It a second for Caitlin to respond, but for Ryuto it felt like an eternity.

"Sure." Caitlin said with a smile.

Ryuto looked up, showing his bright red face. Caitlin let out a giggle at the sight, and Ryuto simply laughed nervously.

"Okay, then. Great." Ryuto said with a smile.

"Well, I should be getting to class." Caitlin said. "Oh right, finals. Good luck." Ryuto said. "You too." Caitlin replied.

The two turned on their heels and walked in opposite directions, both of them had a silly smile on their faces. Finals passed by quicker than Ryuto had anticipated and now graduation was only a week away. Now he was stressing about it. He already had what he was going to wear, thanks to his mother, but what had him nervous was going to the dance with Caitlin. Sure, they were best friends but Ryuto was nervous about how he should act, since it was a formal event. It caused Ryuto great stress just thinking about it. When he talked to his mother about it, she had a simple response.

"Just be yourself, you don't have to change. Isn't that what she likes about you?" his mother asked. "That's such a 'mom' answer. But being myself at such a formal even just doesn't click in my head." Ryuto answered. "Ryuto, it's going to be fine. You're just stressing out over being someones date." his mother said with a smile. "It's not a date, we're just going as friends." Ryuto rebutted. "Sure, kiddo. Whatever makes sense to you." his mother replied with a smile on her face.

Just as with finals, graduation had come. Everyone was dressed formally, guys with suits and ties while girls wore dresses and high-heels. Ryuto fidgeted with his tie, it felt like if the thing was going to choke him to death. Then Barry walked over and adjusted, and Ryuto no longer felt choked up.

"Thanks. What did you do?" Ryuto asked. "Just loosened it. Whoever did it, put it on tight." Barry said placing his hands on his hips. "It was my dad. He told me he wore his the same way he put it on me." Ryuto replied putting his hands in his pockets.

"Hey, first time I see your hair actually combed." Barry said with a smile. "My mom literally forced me to comb it." Ryuto said touching his gelled hair.

"I think you look fine." a feminine voice said.

The two boys turned to where the voice came from and saw Caitlin standing in front of them. Ryuto's jaw almost dropped when he saw her. She wore a blue dress with long sleeves and short black high-heels. He hair seemed like it just came out of the salon, which was probably true, and was loose on the back with two bangs falling in front of her face reaching her chest.

"You look really nice yourself." Ryuto said. "I think Cisco is calling me over, I'll be right back." Barry said patting Ryuto on the shoulder.

"Good luck." he whispered to Ryuto.

Ryuto rolled his eyes and watched him disappear in the crowd.

"I'm being serious when I said you looked nice." Ryuto said nervously. "Is that all? Just nice?" Caitlin asked crossing your arms.

Ryuto pulled on his collar and gulped.

"You look beautiful." Ryuto said confidently. "Thank you. You look pretty handsome yourself." Caitlin said with a smile.

Ryuto replied with a nervous smile.

"Nervous for this?" Caitlin asked. "A bit, yeah." Ryuto said.

"Well then looks like everyone is here." Cisco's voice called out.

The two turned towards Cisco and saw him along with Barry and Ronnie. Sadness struck him when he did not see Kagami standing with them.

"We're missing one, thought." Ronnie said. "Yeah, Taiga." Barry added. "I'm sure he'd want us to be happy today." Caitlin said. "Cait's right, in a way let's do this for Taiga." Ryuto said with a smile.

Everyone nodded in response and soon after the ceremony began. It was a simple ceremony, everyone got a formal piece of paper saying that they passed the grade and the highest averages per class got a medal. After the ceremony, Ryuto met up with Caitlin outside the auditorium.

"So, uh, for the dance, do you want to meet up at the venue or do you want me to pick you up?" Ryuto asked with a hand behind his head. "Let's meet up at the venue. I have something to do with my family before hand." Caitlin answered. "Okay, see you there." Ryuto said with a smile.

Ryuto spent the few hours before the dance with his family. They went out to get something to eat, where they spent most of the night talking about him and his achievements. Ryuto hated being the center of attention, he hated having everyone stare at him. It made him nervous, even more so when they began to talk about Caitlin.

"We're just friends Mom, jeez." Ryuto said hiding his face to not show how red it was.

The comment earned a laugh from his family members gathered around him. After dinner, Ryuto was dropped off at the venue, which was the auditorium just redecorated, for the dance.

"Have a good time okay. Make sure Caitlin does too." his mother said. "I will Mom." Ryuto replied. "Have fun. Call us whenever you want to leave, just don't call us too early." his father said.

Ryuto rolled his eyes and turned away from his parents. As he was about to walk into the auditorium, he felt someone place their hand on his shoulder to stop him. Ryuto turned back to see Caitlin smiling at him. She was wearing the same dress she had worn for the ceremony.

"Hey." Caitlin greeted. "Hey. I was about to check if you were already inside." Ryuto said nervously. "Come on." Caitlin said grabbing his hand. "Wait a minute." Ruyto said as he was being pulled inside.

Caitlin then directed him towards where the rest of his friends were. Caitlin waved over to Cisco and Ronnie, who waved back.

"Hey, you guys made it." Cisco said. "Of course we made it. I wasn't going to miss my last party in Central City." Ryuto said. "Where's Barry?" Caitlin asked. "He said he was picking up his date. Oh wait never mind, there he is now." Ronnie said pointing towards the entrance.

The four friends looked towards where Ronnie was pointing and saw Barry walking in with Cadence.

"You know, I'm not surprised those two came together. I will say they do look cute together." Caitlin said with a smile. "I guess you're right about that." Ryuto replied.

Cisco then waved his hand and Barry waved back when he saw him. The couple walked over to them and they greeted each other with fist bumps.

"You look amazing, Cade." Caitlin said. "So do you, I should have told you earlier." Cadence said.

"I thought you were going to get here before us Barry?" Ronnie asked. "I was, but Cade took awhile to pick out which shoes to where." Barry said with a smile. "Shut it, Tholly. It's not my fault I'm short." Cadence said lightly punching Barry in the arm.

Everyone began to laugh and they began to join in on the party. After some hours, a slower song was played and boy and girls began to pair up. Seeing what was happening, Ryuto held out his hand to Caitlin, which she took happily. When they made their way to the dance floor, Ryuto placed his hands around Caitlin's hips while she placed her arms around his neck.

"I should warn you I'm not coordinated for dancing." Ryuto said with a smile.

Caitlin laughed at the comment. "How about we just sway?" Caitlin said.

Ryuto nodded and the two began to sway side to side. Caitlin then moved in closer and rested her head against his chest.

"I'm going to miss you." she said somberly. "I'm still here though." Ryuto replied.

Caitlin let out a light chuckle.

"That's something I'm definitely going to miss, your literal side." she said. "I'm going to miss you too. I'm going to miss everyone." Ryuto replied. "You are going to stay in contact with me and us, right?" Caitlin asked. "Of course, all of you are my best friends." Ryuto answered. "What about Taiga? Will you try to find him when you get to Japan?" Caitlin asked. "I will. He hasn't returned my calls, so either he's ignoring me or he has a different phone number." Ryuto answered. "It was odd not having him around these last few months." Caitlin said. "I know." Ryuto said.

As the two continued to sway, Barry and Cadence had moved closer to them.

"What are they talking about?" Cadence asked. "How should I know? Cade, why don't we let them talk." Barry answered. "I know, but if she's resting her head on his chest something is defiantly happening." Cadence said.

"Cait, I have to be honest with you about something." Ryuto said.

Caitlin looked up to him with curious eyes. Ryuto could feel his face turing red at the sight of her eyes.

"What is is?" Caitlin asked. "It's just that since we've known each other I've had the biggest crush on you. I know now is the worst time to admit it, but I just couldn't build up the courage to say so before." Ryuto said.

Caitlin remained silent for a moment, but she simply smiled at him.

"I know, you weren't all that subtle about it at all." Caitlin said with a small laugh. "I guess I should've said something sooner." Ryuto said. "I'm just glad you finally said it." Caitlin said with a smile.

She then moved close to his face and kissed him on the cheek. Ryuto's face turned bright red in an instant and Caitlin laughed at the sight.

"Call that my goodbye gift to you." Caitlin said smiling.

Ryuto did not respond, he simply smiled and the two continued to sway, despite the slow song having ended.

 **AN: And with this the Origin Story arc comes to an end. I had fun writing these chapter, because I purposely left out most of Ryuto's origins a mystery in the first story. While writing this, I had to line up with things that are canon in KnB, such as Kagami leaving the US (I liked writing that portion).**

 **While with Flash, I'm taking a lot of liberties. The first is Barry and Cadence. Just as a reminder, Cadence belongs to DarkElements10, so go check her out if you want to know more about her. At first I was going to have Barry going to the party with a girl from the show, but I realized "best girl" Caitlin was going with my character and I really dislike Barry and Iris' relationship on the show while Patty was shuffled off the board, so I went with Cade. The reason for this is because DarkElements10 created a much better relationship between them in her story than the show has done. Sorry if I offended anyone, but that's just how I see things.**

 **With all that out of the way, next chapter is going to be kind of a filler chapter but the beginning of it is important to the rest of the story so you guys can decide if you want to read that chapter or not. I hope you enjoyed this chapter and stay tuned for the next update. Remember to follow, favorite, and/or review if you haven't already.**


	6. Chapter 6

**AN: Here is chapter 6. It's a simple chapter and it's kinda a filler chapter, but at the same time it's not. Besides that, I hope you enjoy it. Remember, I do NOT own KnB or Flash. I only own my character and the plot.**

Chapter 6

Reunion

Ryuto was awakened by the sound of the school bell. He looked at the time and saw that the school day was finally over. He let out a yawn and stretched his arms. It was unlike him to fall asleep in class. He stood up and grabbed his bag, placing it on his shoulder. Before walking out he apologized to his teacher for falling asleep and that it would not happen again. He exited the classroom and walked over to the gym. According to Riko, there was an important announcement for the whole team. Ryuto knew what it was already, but he felt the need to be present for it.

He changed exercise clothes, because he knew that after the announcement it was likely the team would have practice. He entered the gym and saw that everyone else had arrived.

"You're late, Ryuto-kun," Riko said annoyed.

"Sorry. I'm feeling lazy today, for some reason," Ryuto replied.

"Anyways, now that everyone is here I can make this announcement," Riko said. "Earlier this week the school got a letter directed to us, the basketball team. From the address, the letter is from a place called Central City, Missouri in America."

There was a commotion from all the players gathered there. They all were surprised that an American city would mail to them. Kagami's eyes widened in surprise, as he recognized the name of the city.

"Along with that, it's from a high school there called Central City High School," Riko said.

"Have you opened the letter yet?" Hyuga asked curiously.

"No, I haven't."

"Well, hurry up and open it," Izuki said excitedly.

Riko nodded and held up the letter, carefully opening. She pulled out the papers stashed into the envelope and eyed them curiously. "Oh, wow, it's is Japanese," Riko said, surprised.

Everyone let surprised gasps as well, they were expecting the letter to be in English. Ryuto, meanwhile, was not as surprised. It was not like Coach Wells to make something difficult.

"The letter reads: Greetings Seirin High School Basketball Team, my name is Harrison Wells and I'm the head coach of the Central City High School basketball team. We've taken interest in taking our team's skills to the next level by playing against other schools from outside our area as well as our country. Japan seemed to be the logical choice as we've recently gotten word of strong players. With that in mind, I hope you will accept our challenge to an exhibition match in the coming month of March. We except to play other schools in order to showcase our schools abilites at a world stage. I do hope you will join us in these exhibition matches as it can prove useful for both of our teams. We expect an answer as soon as possible as I'm making preparations for everything. Thank you and I hope you do accept. Harrison Wells."

Everyone in the gym remained silent processing what Riko had read. Ryuto hid his excitement with indifference. Ever since Barry had told him that they were heading to Japan, he found it difficult to sleep at night. He was always waiting in anticipation for the day he would finally reunite with some of his best friends. Ryuto was too busy in his own thoughts to notice that Kagami had walked over to him.

"Yo, Ryuto, you alive?" Kagami asked waving his hand in front of Ryuto's face.

Ryuto blinked rapidly a few times as he regain focus on what the current situation was. "Sorry, I was spaced out," Ryuto said.

"Did you know this was happening?" Kagami asked. Ryuto nodded in response and Kagami's eyes widened in realization. "This is what you and Barry were talking about on the phone wasn't it?!" Kagami called out.

"Hey, lower your voice." Ryuto said shushing the redhead.

But it was in vain, as all the heads in the gym were turned to the two boys. Ryuto gave a nervous laugh and placed his hand behind his head.

"Start talking, now," Riko said sternly.

Ryuto took a deep breath and released it. They were bound to find out at some point, finding out about his past. "Well, I found out because a friend called me to tell me that their team was coming to play in Japan. When he told me about the letter, I kept quiet knowing that letter would be news to everyone." Ryuto explained.

"So you know someone on that team and that school?" Furihata asked.

"Of course. I know the whole team. I was their captain in middle school," Ryuto answered.

"What?" everyone said in unison.

"Why the hell did you never tell us that?" Hyuga asked angrily.

"A few people already know." Ryuto said.

"Who?" Koga asked curiously.

"Let's see. Taiga, obviously, Riko, Kasamtasu, Seijūrō, Satsuki, Kise, and Takao. I'm not too sure about the last two though," Ryuto said numbering each person with a finger.

"How much don't we know about you?" Kiyoshi asked.

"I keep to myself, so not a lot. Except for what I've already told you," Ryuto answered.

Everyone continued to bombard Ryuto with questions about his past, wanting to know every detail. He managed to avoid answering anything when Riko called everyone to attention. "Aside for Ryuto never saying anything, what do you guys think about this exhibition match?"

"The American team is obviously going to play team with members of the Generation of Miracles on them," Izuki said. "I think it'll be a great way to show just how strong a Japanese team can be," Kiyoshi said with a smile.

"It will defiantly be interesting." Kuroko said monotonously.

Everyone jumped back in fright in Kuroko's sudden appearance. Due to his low presence, if he was ever forgotten about, it would come as a surprise to everyone when he would speak. Ryuto was the only person unaffected by this as he was the only one to see him as if he was always standing there.

"Kuroko-kun's right. So, should we accept?" Riko asked.

"Is that even a question?" Furihata asked.

"This is the chance of a lifetime, playing against an American high school," Kawahara said.

"Plus if it's Ryuto and Kagami's old teammates, it's bound to be a tough game," Hyuga added.

Ryuto felt happy that everyone was excited to play his old teammates. He knew it would be a way for both teams to grow. However, inside of him he felt scared. From what Barry had told him, they had won the championship back-to-back from the start of high school. It Ryuto wonder if his old teammates had gotten stronger or they were just as strong as when he left and no one could stand up to them. Whatever the case was, he knew that when his old team arrived to Japan they were going to have a tough time beating the schools they had challenged.

When the meeting adjourned, Ryuto walked towards the bus stop with Riko. The two held hands and Riko rested her head on Ryuto's shoulder. The two had been quiet for most of the walk, but Ryuto could see in her eyes that she wanted to know more about how his old teammates.

"If you want to know more, just ask," Ryuto said.

"Was I that obvious?" Riko asked looking up at him. Ryuto nodded in response. "What was your team like? Other than being similar to the Generation of Miracles."

"Well, rather than being six we were nine, including me. We were strong in sixth grade, but it showed how undeveloped our abilities were. I was the quickest to show the ability to use more advanced skills, while others were just good by nature. Oliver will be a good example of that when you meet him." Ryuto explained.

"Oliver, huh. Kagami-kun mentioned someone called Barry, who's that?" Riko asked.

"Our fastest player and the last to join us nine. He was incredibly talented for never having played before. He's captain in high school now," Ryuto answered.

"You talk differently about both Oliver and Barry. It seems you and this Oliver didn't get along," Riko said.

"We didn't. Our relationship was built off of respect. I respected him and him me," Ryuto explained.

"Is there anyone else that was significant?" Riko asked.

"You're just going to keep grilling me aren't ya," Ryuto said with a laugh. "I'll draw something up, so when we start practicing to face them we have a way to stop them."

Meanwhile at all the other schools that had been challenged, everyone was getting the news about facing an American high school. At Shutoku, everyone was excited at the prospect of playing an American team; minus Midorima. The green haired shooting guard seemed indifferent about it.

"So, Shin-chan, how do you feel about playing an American team?" Takao asked.

"It doesn't matter to me who we play. I will not loose and my shots will never miss," Midorima said confidently as he released a shot from the other side of the court.

At Kaijo, everyone had returned to play the American team, including the retired third years.

"Kasamatsu-senpai, I thought you retired?" Kise asked.

"If we're playing an American high school, why would I pass up the chance to play them. I'm sure others feel the same way I do," Kasamatsu said.

At Tōō, Aomine began to take practice more seriously when Satsuki told him about the challenge.

"Aomine-san sure is excited," Sakurai said fearfully.

"At least he's coming to practice," Wakamatsu said in disgust.

At Rakuzan, Seijūrō was smiling at the news and so was the rest of the team. Even Mayuzumi showed more emotion at the prospect of playing.

"This will be a great way to show that Rakuzan is indeed the best in Japan," Seijūrō said.

"I wonder what type of play style they have," Mibuchi said.

"They can't stop me and my muscles," Nebuya said flexing.

"I want to see who I can go all out against," Hayama said with a gleeful smile.

Finally, at Yosen, Tatsuya was taken aback by the news. He had known and played against almost everyone on that team and wondered how much they had changed since he last saw them. Murasakibara caught wind of Tatsuya's emotions was quick to comment.

"Are these guys good, Muro-chin?"

"Yes. They are incredibly strong," Tatsuya answered.

"Maybe I might just play." Murasakibara said lazily.

It obvious there was excitement in the air and that excitement did not stop, it only grew when the days of the exhibition matches came ever closer.

Ryuto rapidly tapped his foot as he watched the clock tick the seconds away. He bit his lower lip as he watched the seconds hand continued to tick away. The anxiousness was going to kill him. It was the beginning of March and Barry had told him they were soon to arrive in Japan. He told Kagami about it and he was equally as anxious to meet their old friends at the airport. When the final seconds of the period were ticking by, Ryuto picked up his bag and prepared to dart out of the school. Kagami and Ryuto had decided to take a train towards the airport and walk to the area where everyone was supposed to exit from.

When the bell finally rang, Ryuto darted from his chair and towards the entrance of the school. As he ran there, Kagami ran alongside him.

"You ready?" Kagami asked with a smile.

"Of course," Ryuto answered, also smiling. "Did you find a way to excuse us for missing practice today?"

"I told to Kuroko to vouch for us," Kagami answered.

"Good, 'cause I told Riko and she was not happy," Ryuto said.

"That's on you for getting a girlfriend who is also the coach," Kagami teased.

"Shut up, we're nearing the train station. Come on," Ryuto said.

The two bought tickets for the train and boarded the train on the track towards the airport. The ride took about twenty minutes, and when they de-boarded the train Ryuto got a text from Barry saying that they had just landed.

"Come on. They just landed," Ryuto announced to Kagami.

"Cool your jets, man. We aren't going to miss 'em," Kagami said.

When the two boys arrived at the area they were supposed to meet with everyone, they placed their hands on their knees and took deep breaths.

"Despite taking a train ride, I'm still panting," Ryuto said.

"Same for me," Kagami echoed.

The two boys found a bench nearby and sat down. They watched people exit the airport looking for taxis or friends waiting for them. The people they saw varied, some were tourists, others were business men, and some were people returning from trip. Ryuto kept a look out for anyone that resembled Barry or anyone from their old team, but found nothing.

"Man, how long does it take to get a suitcase?" Ryuto asked groaning.

"You just got to be patient. Isn't that what you always tell me?" Kagami asked raising an eyebrow.

"That's because I rarely lose my patience," Ryuto replied.

"Fair enough," Kagami said with a shrug.

The two waited for another five minutes, when Ryuto saw a face he recognized. On Ryuto's face appeared the happiest of smiles, one that he rarely showed. Ryuto tapped Kagami's shoulder and pointed towards where he saw the face. Kagami's face lit up as well, and the two boys stood up and began to wave a group of people walking out of the airport.

"Hey! There they are," a voice called out.

Ryuto was quick to notice that it was Jay, since he was the one Ryuto noticed first. Finally, the group stood in front of the two Japanese boys, a group they were excited to see. Before exchanging any words, there was a barrage of hugs and fist bumps from everyone in the group. Ryuto greeted all his old friends with only happiness.

"Oh man, it's so good to see all of you guys again," Ryuto said.

"It's good to see you too. How've you been, man?" Cisco said hugging Ryuto. "And you too Taiga. God, I've missed you ever since you disappeared on us."

Cisco hugged Kagami, which he happily returned.

"Man, it feels like forever," Ronnie said high fiving both boys.

"Great to see both of you again. You two have defiantly grow. I'm pretty sure Taiga and I are the same height," Jay said hugging the two boys.

"Hey guys, great to see you again," Barry said also hugging them.

"Man, it's good to see everyone," Kagami said happily.

Ryuto moved from his friends to the others in the group. He acknowledged Snart and Mick with a simple nod, which Snart returned but Mick seemed to not notice. He moved towards Diggle and the two boys fist bumped. Ryuto gave Diggle and smile, which he returned.

"It's good to see you again, Diggle," Ryuto said.

"Same goes for me. The team isn't the same without you," Diggle said.

"I'm sure it isn't," Ryuto said with a laugh.

Ryuto then turned to Oliver, the boys stared at each other for a few moments until Ryuto stretched out his hand for a hand shake. Oliver looked down and raised an eyebrow at the sight.

"Despite our differences, my life hasn't been the same without you around," Ryuto said.

"I guess I could say the same," Oliver said taking Ryuto's hand.

The two boys had a firm hand shake and quickly separated from each other. When he spotted Felicity standing next to Oliver, the two said hello and exchanged a simple hug. She did the same with Kagami.

"Oh, Ryuto and Taiga, let me introduce you guys to some new people," Barry said.

Ryuto and Kagami nodded and followed Barry to a smaller group of boys. One was a somewhat pale skinned boy with dark hair, dark brown eyes, and a tall stature. The other boy was shorter and had light brown hair with similar colored eyes. Another boy was clearly the youngest on the team, he was African-American and had black hair with dark colored eyes. He wore black framed glass and seemed to be nervous. The last boy was the shortest out of everyone, at a similar height to Cisco. He had short dark with matching colored eyes. His demeanor was that of Mick's, except it was not as intimidating.

"Meet, Ray Palmer, point guard and center, Carter Hall, center, Curtis Holt, point guard, and Rene Ramirez, power forward," Barry introduced.

"Man, it so awesome to meet you. Everyone speaks so highly of you that it's just an honor to meet you," Curtis said practically bowing.

"No need to bow. It's nice to meet you Curtis," Ryuto said.

"Oh really, I thought it was a common custom in Japan to bow." Curtis said.

"Oh boy, another Felicity," Ryuto murmured. "It's fine, trust me." Kagami let out a small snicker, gaining an annoyed look from Ryuto.

"It's a pleasure to meet someone of you caliber. I'm Ray by the way," Ray introduced himself.

"Name's Carter Hall. I'm here to beat you guys, so don't expect nice treatment from me," Carter said.

"Okay, best of luck to you," Ryuto said nervously.

" 'Sup, Hoss. The name's Rene and like Carter said, I'm here to win," Rene echoed.

"Well, it's nice to meet you guys," Ryuto said.

"Can't wait to see what you guys show on the court," Kagami said excitedly.

"It's great and all that you've been reacquainted," a voice said, "but we have a schedule to keep." Ryuto looked behind him to see two men he was happy to see, his former middle school coaches Harrison Wells and Martin Stein. "Hello, Ryuto. Hello, Taiga" Wells said. "Mr. Rishihara, Mr. Kagami. I hope you are in good spirits as of late." Stein said politely.

"It's great to see you again too, Coach Well and Coach Stein," Ryuto said.

"Yeah, it has been a long time," Kagami said.

"We should get moving, we need to check in at our hotel," Wells said. "Ryuto and Taiga, you're free to join us there if you'd like."

Ryuto and Kagami nodded happily and followed the group from Central City. However, they soon became the guides as they did not know where to go. They made it to the train station and took a train towards the hotel. While on the ride, Ryuto and Kagami spent time talking with their old group of Jay, Ronnie, Barry, and Cisco.

"Man, being all together like this sure takes me back," Barry said.

"Yeah, all that's missing is Caitlin," Ryuto added.

As they continued to talk, Cisco felt his phone ring. He took it out and saw who was calling him. "Speaking of Caitlin," Cisco said holding out his phone. He then answered and started to talk. "Yeah, we landed like 30 minutes ago," Cisco said. There was a pause in his speech as he let Caitlin talk. "Yep, we already met up with them." Cisco said. Another pause. "Oh, you want to talk to him. I'll put him on the phone," Cisco said with a sly smile. "Here Ryuto, Caitlin wants to talk to you."

"C-C-Cait, wants to talk to me?" Ryuto asked nervously his cheeks turing red in the process.

"Dude, don't leave her waiting," Barry said urging him on.

Ryuto nervously took the phone and it almost fell out of his hands. As he held up his phone to his ear, he saw Cisco's angry face.

"Don't you dare drop my phone." he murmured.

Ryuto took in and released his breath and put the phone to his ear. "H-Hey, Cait. How've you been?" Ryuto asked nervously.

"Ryuto? Is that you?" Caitlin asked surprised.

"Yep, it's me. I haven't changed since we last saw each other," Ryuto replied.

"It's just that your voice sounds different," Caitlin said.

"Really? Well, I have been speaking Japanese for a while so I haven't really heard myself speaking English in while," Ryuto explained with all sense of nervousness gone.

To everyone around him, it was apparent that Ryuto felt more comfortable talking to Caitlin. Before he was a nervous wreck around her, but now he was talking to her as if nothing between them had happened.

"Why are they talking so casually? Last time I checked, Ryuto had a massive crush on her," Kagami said pointing at Ryuto.

"That's right, you left before graduation," Cisco said. "Well for the dance, Ryuto asked Caitlin to go with him and they totally kissed."

"Did they?" Kagami asked surprised.

"Yep, it seemed obvious they were a couple, but now I'm not so sure," Cisco answered.

"Well, that would make sense. Ryuto does have a girlfriend," Kagami said with a shrug.

"He has what?" everyone asked in unison with a surprised tone.

"Yeah, they've been going out since, like, January, I think." Kagami explained.

"He never told us anything," Ronnie said.

"He does keep to himself. We didn't know until he kissed her in front of all of us," Kagami replied.

"Man, to think he'd totally quit on Caitlin like that," Cisco said.

Meanwhile, Ryuto continued to have a conversation with Caitlin. They had kept in contact through texts, but it had been a long time since they last talked with their voices. They talked mostly about how life was in Japan and Central City, and would compare. Ryuto would laugh at all the stories about Cisco and of the others. While Caitlin laughed at Ryuto's stories about Kagami and others from his team.

"Well, it was nice to talk to you again, Cait," Ryuto said.

"Yeah, we should call each other more often. Also, you better visit this summer," Caitlin said sternly.

"I will, I swear," Ryuto said with a laugh.

"I miss you," Caitlin said.

"I miss you too, Cait. Bye for now." Ryuto said.

"Bye, Ryu." Caitlin said hanging up the phone.

As Ryuto took the phone off his ear, red appeared in his cheeks again. When he left, the two decided to remain friends, but he guessed that a part of him still deeply cared for her; in the same way he felt about Riko. As he handed the phone back to Cisco, he heard Cisco's comment about quitting on Caitlin.

"For your information, I did not quit on her. We mutually decided to remain as friends," Ryuto corrected.

"But you do still have feelings for her, right?" Barry asked.

"Guys, she's one of my best friends. Plus, I got a girlfriend now and she's great, and I can't wait for you guys to meet her," Ryuto answered.

There was a commotion between the guys at the prospect of meeting Riko. Ryuto gave a nervous laugh and mentally prepared himself for what Riko would say at the prospect of meeting his friends.

When they finally arrived at the stop for the hotel, everyone got off and prepared to walk. When they entered, everyone gave a gasp at the hotel. Despite it being one of the cheaper hotels, it looked very nice on the inside.

"Man, I can't wait to unpack and look around town," Cisco said excitedly.

"Before any of that, you need to rest and adjust to time difference here. It'll be bad if you get too jet lagged," Wells advised.

"Coach's right. After you guys adjust, Taiga and I will show you around Tokyo. If there's any place you want to go just tell us," Ryuto said.

"You can count on us," Kagami said pointing at himself.

People began to shout out random places and it took awhile for everyone to settle down. Ryuto could tell they were excited at doing tourist things around the city, and he could not blame them even he would venture into the city if he had free time on weekends.

"Hey, uh, Ryuto," Barry said nervously.

"Yeah, what's up?" Ryuto asked.

"Do you think we could go to Akihabara?" Barry asked nervously.

"Didn't peg you as someone who liked anime, Barry," Ryuto said with a laugh.

"Hey, not so loud," Barry said.

"Sure, we can go. I went once it's an odd place, but it has its charm," Ryuto said with a smile.

As Barry was about to say something, Cisco walked up to them with a peculiar look in his eyes.

"If you're going to Akihabara, you're taking me with you," he said.

"Both of you like anime, huh?" Ryuto asked.

"Well, Barry's in the anime club at school, so you can see how much of a weeb he is." Cisco said.

Ryuto let out a laugh, while Kagami snickered. Barry's face turned bright red, he was clearly embarrassed.

"Cisco, just because I like _Dragon Ball Z_ doesn't make me a weeb," Barry said defending himself.

"Barry, when will you learn _Cowboy Bebop_ is the superior show," Cisco said.

"Hey, easy guys. We'll all go to Akihabara and have some fun alright," Ryuto said. "You're coming too Taiga, and ask Kuroko if he wants to come as well.

Kagami nodded in response. Meanwhile, Cisco and Barry continued to argue on which show was superior. Ryuto could not help but smile at the sight, their bickering about what was better always amused him.

"If you guys are headed to Akihabara, you're gonna take me with you," a sarcastic voice said.

All four boys looked to their side and saw Snart lazily standing in front of them.

"You like anime, Snart?" Barry asked curiously.

"What can I say, Japanese cartoons interest me," Snart said with a shrug.

Snart walked off and joined Mick.

"Huh, Snart likes anime who would've thought." Cisco said.

After getting checked in to the hotel, Ryuto and Kagami said their goodbyes and walked out of the hotel. They took a train and separated at a stop. Ryuto and Kagami said their goodbyes and Ryuto watched Kagami speed away. Ryuto let out a breath and began to walk to his house. He looked up towards the sky and his thoughts began to drift to different things.

These next two weeks are sure to be interesting.

The next day, Barry woke up in his hotel room. He was sharing a room with Cisco and Jay. Barry and Cisco slept on the bed while Jay fashioned a bed out of sheets and pillows on the floor. Barry rubbed his eyes and let out a yawn. The covered window had light peering from the side, showing that the sun was out. Barry slightly moved the blind and a bright blinding light hit his eyes. He blinked a few times before his vision adjusted.

"That was a bad idea," Barry whispered to himself.

He looked back to his friend and cousin, they were still asleep and it looked like they weren't waking up any time soon. He moved to his phone to check them time. His eyes widened when he saw 2:45 pm. He had no idea he was asleep for so long, he remembered that Coach Wells forced everyone to sleep at around nine. He did not expect to wake up so late. He moved to the bathroom and turned on the light. He took a quick shower and got changed. As he put on his shoes, he remembered what Ryuto had told him the day before.

"School lets out a 3:15, see you guys after that."

He walked out of his room and headed down the hall towards Coach Wells's room to tell him his plans. When Coach Wells answered the door, he seemed like he had just woken up.

"Yes, Mr. Allen?" Wells asked putting on his glasses.

"I'm going to meet up with Ryuto, if that's okay?" Barry asked.

"Sure, make sure you get back here when you're done," Wells answered letting out a yawn. "What time is it?"

"Almost three o'clock," Barry said glancing at his watch.

"Oh, boy, this is not going to help adjusting to the time," Wells said closing his door.

Barry let out a nervous laugh and walked towards the elevator. Exiting the hotel, Barry pulled out his phone and typed in Ryuto's school. He let out a sigh when it was not close enough to walk, so he opted to take a bus there. Barry waited at the bus stop until the bus arrived, he payed the fair and sat down. Barry made it to the stop that was nearest Ryuto's school and got off the bus, starting to walk towards the school. When Barry walked closer, he noticed that the students were exiting the school. Barry looked at his watch, it read 3:20, five minutes after the final bell. He stopped at the gate and tried his best to read the schools sign.

"Say-rin. I think that's how it's pronounced," Barry said aloud.

He then let out a breath and walked in. As he did so, he was quick to notice that he stood out like a sore thumb. Everyone eyed him as he walked and everyone noticed he was lost. Barry tried his best to avoid the stares, but it was difficult when he was not wearing a uniform. He began to glance around trying to find a hint of grey hair or maybe a basketball court, but the more he glanced around, the more he stood out.

"Ahem," a voice said.

Barry looked ahead to find a girl with short brown hair standing in front of him.

"Uh, hi," Barry said in the best Japanese he could.

"Are you lost? You're not from around here are you?" the girl said in English.

Barry's eyes widened in surprise when he heard her speak in English, there was a slight accent but he understood her clearly. "Wait, you speak English?" Barry asked surprised.

"Well yeah. I'm speaking to you right now, aren't I?" the girl asked with a slight attitude.

Barry was about to respond, when another voice called out to the girl.

"Hey, Madoka! Wait up!" The voice was definitely that of a boy.

Barry looked towards the direction of the voice, but saw no one. He raised an eyebrow trying to figure out what was going on.

"Hey, do you have the notes from the last twenty minutes of class? I kinda zoned out." the voice asked.

The girl let out a sigh. "Honestly, if you're just going to doze off why bother being in the class at all."

"Hey it's not my fault-" the boy's voice stopped itself. Barry looked at the girl and saw grey hair standing next to her. "Barry? What are you doing here?" Ryuto asked switching languages.

"Ryuto? That was you? I couldn't see you there for a moment." Barry said letting out a laugh.

"Wait, you know him?" Madoka asked pointing at Barry.

"Yep, he's one of my best friends from the States," Ryuto said with a smile.

"Barry Allen, nice to meet you to Madoka," Barry said with bow.

"Don't call me by my first name. My name is Nakashima Madoka, so call me Nakashima," Madoka said turing away form Barry. "And Ryuto I'll email you the notes." Madoka then turned on her heel and walked away.

"Thanks!" Ryuto called out.

"She's got an attitude." Barry whispered.

"You have no idea," Ryuto replied. "Now come on, I got practice and I want you to meet my team."

"Isn't it bad that I'm meeting your team? We are playing against each other." Barry asked.

"It's fine, we don't show our cards in practice," Ryuto assured.

Barry nodded an followed Ryuto towards the gym. As they walked, Barry seemed to standout less as he was with Ryuto. He could even notice girls eyeing him as he walked.

"You're popular," Barry said.

"Really? I never noticed," Ryuto said with a shrug.

"Are you being honest?" Barry asked.

"Yep. I keep to myself at school." Ryuto answered.

When they arrived at the gym, Barry let out a gasp. It looked humungous form the outside, he then began to wonder what it looked like inside. Ryuto then opened the door and ushered Barry inside. When Barry got a look inside, he was quick to notice how new everything looked.

"The school recently opened, so everything is pretty new. The gym's multi-use, there are a lot of events here. Most of the time thought, we have it to ourselves," Ryuto explained. "Let me get changed I'll be right back."

Barry nodded and continued to stare at everything. All the equipment at his high school was old and some things needed replacing, supposedly over the summer they were going to fix the gym. Barry sat down on the stage and noticed what Ryuto meant by multi-use. There was a stage, and lines painted all around the court. He saw the basketball lines as well as volleyball lines. The gym seemed be large enough to play on two basketball courts at the same time.

"Dang," Barry said in awe.

"Who are you?" a feminine voice said in Japanese.

Barry looked towards where the voice came from and saw a girl wearing the schools uniform and had short light brown hair, shorter than Madoka's. He looked at her with a scowl and for some reason she scared him.

"I'm, uh, here, uh, with a friend." Barry said in bad Japanese.

"You're from America?" the girl asked. Her tone of voice seemed to lightened when she asked the question.

Barry nodded in response, he only picked up the word America so he assumed she was asking where he was form. "Yeah. My friend is Ryuto."

Before the girl could respond, a door opened and Ryuto walked out wearing a long sleeved blue shirt and black shorts, he also had his basketball shoes on. He quickly saw the girl and the girl had a smile on her face. She walked over to him and hugged him. Barry quickly noticed how comfortable they were around each other.

 _She must be his girlfriend Riko_ Barry thought.

"Hey, Barry, come here I want you to meet Riko," Ryuto said.

Barry jumped off the stage and walked over to the two.

"Riko meet Barry. Barry meet my girlfriend and basketball coach Riko," Ryuto said.

"Pleasure to meet you…wait did you say coach?" Barry asked surprised.

"Yep, I'm the coach of the Seirin High basketball team. Pleased to meet you," Riko said with a smile as well as in English.

Barry picked up on the fact that Riko was not very good at speaking English. He could also tell she was still learning.

"It's nice to meet you as well," Barry said with a slight bow. "If it's easier for you, speak Japanese. I understand a bit, plus I have Ryuto to translate."

The girl nodded her head no. "Thank you for your concern, but I want to practice."

"All right," Barry replied.

"I'm teaching her English as well as other, I tutor students who need the help," Ryuto explained.

"That's cool!" Barry exclaimed.

"It's nothing to get excited about," Ryuto said waving him off.

Moments later the door to the gym opened and in walked other boys. Barry looked towards the group and immediately noticed Kagami. Before he could saw hello, a boy with black hair and glasses was staring him down.

"Oi, gaijin, who the hell are you and why are you here?" the boy asked.

Barry felt intimidated by the boy's gaze. It was not the same type of intimidation as Mick, but the boy had something about him. Before he could answer, Ryuto stepped in to introduce him.

"Everyone, meet Barry Allen. He's a friend of mine from the States as well as one of the players from the American high school that challenged us."

This time, the group of boys looked at Barry in awe. They were not expecting to meet on of their opponents so early.

"Ryuto, why would you bring him here?" the boy with glasses asked angrily.

"Relax, Barry's just here to meet you guys, ain't that right?" Ryuto said switching languages mid sentence.

"Yes, whatever he said," Barry said.

The Seirin team began to eye Barry curiously, wondering what kind of skills he had. Ryuto read the atmosphere and turned to Barry.

"Barry, how about a quick one-on-one? First one to five."

"Sure, but don't you have practice?" Barry asked.

"It'll be quick don't worry. Furi, pass me that ball," Ryuto ordered.

Furihata nodded and passed the ball he was holding to Ryuto. Ryuto urged Barry over to the three point line and both got into a stance.

"Wait, are they actually about to have a one-on-one?" Izuki asked surprised.

"Looks like it. Kagami fill us in, who is this guy?" Koga asked.

"Well, Barry joined our team in seventh grade, or second year of middle school. This is how they met, playing a one-on-one. He was naturally gifted and naturally quick on his feet. He was the fastest on our team, so much so that he was dubbed 'The Fastest Man Alive.' I think he said he was captain for the high school team," Kagami explained.

"Woah!" everyone said in unison.

"This guy's the captain?" Tsuchida asked surprised.

Kagami nodded. "Yep, though whenever they would played a one-on-one Ryuto would always won."

"I wonder how this will turn out," Kiyoshi said.

Meanwhile, Riko watched on, nervous and lightly biting her thumb.

Ryuto started with the ball at the very edge of the three point line. Barry got into a defensive stance and waited for Ryuto to make a move.

"You know, this is the same as when we first met," Ryuto said.

"Yeah, it is. I'm not holding back though," Barry said confidently.

"Let's see if this time you make me all out this time," Ryuto said with a smile.

Barry gave his own confident smile back and the two were ready to play.

Ryuto began to dribbled the ball, quickening his pace with each dribble. Barry watch closely, he was present when Ryuto developed his Lightning Crossover but he never managed to defeat it. Ryuto then crossed over to his right and Barry tensed up his defense. Ryuto then crossed over back to his right and disappeared from Barry's sight. Barry turned back to see Ryuto scoring a lay up. Ryuto turned towards Barry and gave him a cocky smile.

"Still can't beat it, huh."

"Just you wait," Barry said grabbing the basketball.

Barry set up at the three point line. He carefully watched Ryuto, studying his stance and position. Whenever they would play a one-on-one, Ryuto could keep with him to a certain point. Barry knew he had to overwhelm Ryuto with his speed. Barry took a deep breath and drove towards the basket. Ryuto managed to get in front of him and stop his advance, but Barry spun around Ryuto and continued his advance. Barry jumped up for a short range jump shot, but Ryuto kept up and jumped to block it. Barry leaned back slightly and released.

The Seirin team watched as Barry leaned back to shoot, noticing it was similar to Aomine's formless shot. However, Barry had more finesse to his. The ball bounced off the rim and bounced on the floor. Ryuto picked up the ball and dribbled the ball to the three point line.

"Come on, Barry. You got to do better than that. You were off balance for that to even work," Ryuto commented.

"You're the one who put me off balance anyways," Barry replied.

Ryuto smiled and prepared to attack the basket. Barry once again carefully studied him, reacting to every twitch Ryuto's body made. Ryuto the quickly moved to the left, causing Barry to follow, but he cut back to the right in one quick motion and drove towards the basket. Ryuto jumped for a lay, but Barry jumped to block. Ryuto then tucked the ball under him and released it on the other side of the basket.

 _A double-clutch? No way_ Barry thought.

The ball bounced off the backboard and into the basket. The boys landed and faced each other, Ryuto with a somewhat cocky smile and Barry had a surprised look on his face.

"I've picked up on a thing or two playing against others," Ryuto said.

"I can see that. You won't be able to stop my next shot," Barry replied.

Ryuto picked up the ball and spun it on his finger. "If that's the case, show me what you got."

Barry grabbed the ball from Ryuto's finger and moved to the three point line. Barry took a deep breath and set up in an offensive stance. Ryuto took a defensive stance in front of him and prepared for an attack. Barry began to dribble and with each dribble, he quickened his pace. In a burst of speed, Barry crossed over to his left and drove towards the basket. Ryuto turned to cut him off, but in another burst of speed he crossed over and jumped up for a lay up, scoring.

Barry panted lightly as he landed, wiping the sweat from his forehead. He glanced towards Ryuto, this time he had a determined look on his face.

"That was impressive. Taking a page from Snart's book with the quick crossovers. Perhaps you are close to surpassing me. Show me more of that," Ryuto said grabbing the ball.

The two boys set up again for another round. Barry kept his distance, but close enough to close out a shot. Even with that, he knew Ryuto would find a way to penetrate his defense. That's what Ryuto was best at, breaking through anyone's defense in a few quick motions. Ryuto began to dribble, this time in his right hand. Barry watched closely, he never started with his right hand as he was left handed, it came naturally to dribble with his left.

"Right hand? That's new," Barry pointed out.

"I had to improve a lot of beat the members of the Generation of Miracles," Ryuto said.

Barry continued to have his guard raised, making sure that he could stop whatever Ryuto had planned. All of a sudden, everything was moving in slow motion for Barry. Ryuto crossed over to left and moved forwards. He did it again, this time he was right in front of Barry, and passed by him. When everything went back to normal, Barry turned to see Ryuto scoring a lay up.

 _What the heck was that just now? Did I just see how Ryuto's Lightning Crossover works?_ Barry thought.

"It's your turn, Barry."

Ryuto's voice snapped Barry from his thoughts. He turned to his grey-haired friend and noticed him holding out the ball. Barry looked down at the ball, and gave a nervous smile.

"How about, we postpone this until our exhibition match? We can settle our score there," Barry said.

"I'll count this as a forfeit, then?" Ryuto asked.

"No, no, just press pause until we play in an official match. In that game we can go all out," Barry explained.

Ryuto nodded. "Alright then. Next time we play it'll be in front of an audience."

Barry nodded as well and the two boys let out a laugh.

Meanwhile the rest of Seirin looked on curiously. They had no idea what the two were saying as they could barely understand English, so they turned to Kagami for a translation. Kagami gave them a simple answer, that they would finish their one-on-one during an official match. Riko then got everyone's attention with a loud clap.

"Now that that's over, let's practice."

"Let's start our warm up," Hyuga called out.

Everyone began to jog around that court and on each edge doing a different exercise. Before Ryuto joined them, he told Barry that he could wait for practice to end or he could leave and they could meet up later.

"I'll head back. I'm sure everyone's awake," Barry said.

"Okay. During the weekend we can do something," Ryuto said as walked to join in on the warm up.

Ryuto jogged next to Kagami and Kuroko. Ryuto noticed that Kuroko kept eyeing Barry as he left. Kuroko had most likely observed Barry since he arrived, no doubt making mental notes about.

"Hey, Kuroko. What did you see?" Ryuto asked.

"Nothing out of the ordinary. You two were clearly holding back," Kuroko answered.

"Wait 'till you see him in a game. He's impressive," Ryuto said with a smile.

"That's defiantly true," Kuroko murmured.

Seirin spent the rest of the week practicing hard for the upcoming game. Since they had both Ryuto and Taiga, they gave them the information on the opponents. Meanwhile, all the other schools also trained hard. Practicing on plays and improving their own skills. They would scourge the internet looking for videos on their opponents and the members of the Generation of Miracles noticed that they were similar to them. Oliver and Midorima had the same style, Aomine and Barry focused on speed to overwhelm, Cisco and Seijūrō had a knack for seeing the future, Diggle and Murasakibara had strength in spades, the only without a counter part was Kise. Kise had the ability to copy a move with only seeing it once, but no one on the Central City High School team had someone like him; much to his disappointment.

"Everyone other member of the Generation of Miracles has someone similar on that team, except me," Kise complained.

"No one is similar to Kurok, either," Kasamatsu pointed out.

"Yeah, but I'm referring to the core five," Kise added.

Kasamatsu let out a sigh and rolled his eyes.

When the weekend came, Seirin took a break from practice in order to get some rest before the match. Ryuto met up with Kagami and Kuroko in order to pickup Barry, Cisco, and Snart to go to Akihabara. It still surprised Ryuto and Kagami that Snart liked anime, or was it manga they were not so sure. When they got to the hotel, Barry and Cisco walked out excitedly while Snart seemed indifferent to everything.

"Ready to head out guys?" Ryuto asked.

"I'm so ready for this," Barry said with a giddy smile on his face.

Cisco let out a cough. "Weeb." He then coughed again.

"Sorry Fleet Feet, but I gotta go with nerd-central over here," Snart said. placing his hand on Cisco's shoulder.

"Guys, come on," Barry said.

Ryuto and Kagami began to laugh. While the four laughed, a small giggle was heard. Barry turned his head to see a short, light blue haired boy standing next to Kagami.

"What the hell! How long has he been standing there?" Barry called out pointing at Kuroko.

Snart and Cisco's eyes widened at the sight of Kuroko. Meanwhile, Kuroko's expression changed to a more confused expression.

"What do you mean? I've been here the whole time," Kuroko said in Japanese.

"Don't mind him. He's always like that," Kagami said.

"You have you to get used to it," Ryuto added.

"Wait, a minute you're the Phantom Sixth Man?" Barry asked.

Kuroko nodded in response.

"Wow, I'm meeting one the Generation of Miracles. This is so cool," Barry said excitedly.

"Thanks, it's a pleasure to meet you as well, all of you" Kuroko said with a bow.

Barry and Cisco bowed as well, Snart just rolled his eyes. Ryuto pinched the bridge of his nose in embarrassment, while Kagami let out a snicker.

"Guys, just stop that you're only embarrassing yourselves," Ryuto said exasperated.

"I think it's fine," Kuroko said with a shrug.

Ryuto let out a sigh. "That's not the reason."

"Anyways, we should get going," Kagami said.

"Let's see this place," Barry said excitedly.

The six made their way to the train station. Ryuto and Kagami helped the three boys form Central City buy a ticket, while Kuroko simply looked on. On the train, Snart minded his own business while Cisco, Barry, Ryuto, and Kagami talked about random topics. Kuroko studied Barry closely. There was something he noticed during the short one-on-one he had with Ryuto, it was more than just holding back form goring full strength it was something stronger, some kind of force that he could not define.

"Hey, Kuroko, why are you so quiet?"

The sound of Ryuto's voice took Kuroko out of his thoughts. He blinked a few times before acknowledging him. "Sorry, Ryuto-kun, I was spaced out."

"I mean, it's not unlike you to be quiet, but I thought you'd be a bit more talkative," Ryuto said.

Kuroko gave a small smile. "I doubt your friends can understand me, so I haven't said anything.

"I can pick up on some things," Barry said.

Cisco let out a cough. "Weeb." Then coughed again.

"Come on, man," Barry said.

Kuroko laughed in response. Barry turned to the light blue haired boy and gave a soft smile. From what he knew about Kuroko Tetsuya was not a lot. From what Ryuto had told him he was monotone and guarded, but the boy he saw laughing showed no signs of being someone that's guarded. However, when Kuroko talked he was defiantly monotone.

After a few more minutes, the six arrived at their destination. They got off the train and walked a few blocks when the street opened up to a massive area with bright colored signs and all kinds of other stuff, along with a massive crowd of people.

"Welcome to Akihabara." Ryuto announced to his friends.

"Wow, this place is so much cooler in person," Cisco said in a higher pitched voice.

"I second that," Barry said. "Hey, Ryuto, take a picture real quick."

Ryuto nodded and grabbed Barry's phone as he handed it to him. Barry and Cisco stood side by side with the entrance of Akihabara behind them. When he took the photo, Ryuto handed back to Barry his phone. Cisco and Barry looked over the picture and seemed satisfied.

"Oh man, this is going to be so much fun," Barry said excitedly.

"One thing before we go," Ryuto said. Barry and Cisco gave a disappointed sigh in response. "This place is full of weird, but cool stuff. Try to find the cool stuff, not the weird stuff," Ryuto warned.

"What qualifies as weird?" Barry asked.

"You'll see," Kagami said with a sly smile.

"Okay, why are you guys acting so weird?" Cisco asked raising an eyebrow.

"Nothing," Ryuto said. "Hey, where's Snart?"

"He was right next to us a moment ago," Barry said turing his head.

"He already entered," Kuroko said pointing in the direction of the entrance.

"Let's follow his lead then," Ryuto said.

The, now, five friends walked into the district and when they entered it was like they were transported into another world. There were all kinds of games, anime, and manga; as well as stores filled with all kinds of items and small cafes. While walking, they managed to find Snart exiting a store holding a manga.

"Hey, Snart!" Cisco called out.

Snart looked up and made eye contact with Cisco. He nodded and walked over towards them.

"I've never read manga before, so I thought I'd give it a try," Snart said.

"But it's in Japanese," Cisco pointed out.

"What's your point? I can speak Japanese," Snart said in almost perfect Japanese.

The five boy's eyes widened in surprise. Snart was the last person they thought could speak Japanese, but they were just proven wrong.

"When did you learn Japanese?" Kagami asked.

"Been learning since the third grade. Gotta keep myself busy since Dad was never around," Snart explained with a shrug.

"What motivated you?" Kuroko asked.

Snart hesitated before answering. For the first time he had a fearful look in his eyes, it looked more like he was embarrassed about something. "Anime."

"Holy crap. Snart is a weeb. This is priceless," Cisco said with a laugh.

In that moment Snart's embarrassment was gone. He glared at Cisco like he was going to kill him. "Say anything and you're dead."

"Point taken," Cisco said fearfully.

"What did you buy, Snart?" Barry asked.

"It's nothing, just something I wanted to read," Snart said getting embarrassed again.

"Come on man, we're all friends here," Barry said kindly.

Snart gave a defeat sigh and held out the manga. Barry's eyes widened at the sight of the cover. The cover had practically naked girls on it and it seemed to be really sexual.

"Okay, now I know what Ryuto meant by weird," Barry said eyes still wide. "I'm gonna have to wash my eyeballs."

"Warned you," Ryuto said with a laugh.

Kagami and Kuroko joined in on the laugh.

The boys continued their trip through Akihabara. While walking Cisco bought as much _Cowboy Bebop_ merchandise he could, while Barry bough a _Dragon Ball_ shirt and a manga volume, even though it was in Japanese. Meanwhile, Snart avoided making eye contact with the more explicit content Akihabara had to offer. Though he did manage to find something that interested him, beyond cartoon girls, it was an superhero manga where the main character had ice powers.

"It makes sense you'd like that one," Ryuto said looking over Snart's shoulder.

"Why's that?" Snart asked.

Ryuto gave a shrug. "I don't know, but it has to do with that nickname Cisco gave you a while back."

Snart turned back to the manage and decided to buy it. The group continued to walk, pointing out all the oddities they could find. Kagami, Ryuto, Cisco, and Barry would talk amongst themselves while Kuroko and Snart seemed to get along. They stopped to get a snack at a cafe and they were attended by a waitress dressed as an anime character. After the waitress left, Barry turned to Ryuto with an odd expression.

"Dude, this place is awesome. But it's crazy weird in some aspects."

"Told you. I was fine seeing this place once," Ryuto said.

"Sorry for making you come," Barry said.

Ryuto let out a small laugh and placed his hand on Barry's shoulder. "It's somewhere you wanted to visit, I wasn't going to take that away from you."

"Thanks," Barry said with a smile.

The group departed from the district at around 3 pm. They talked and laughed about the crazy stuff they witnessed. When they arrived back at the hotel, Kuroko said goodbye to Snart as the two had somehow became friends.

"Those two becoming friends surprised me," Barry said.

Ryuto and Kagami nodded in response.

"Well, see you guys later," Cisco said.

"Yeah. Your first game is on Monday, right?" Kagami asked.

"Yep, against Rakuzan," Barry answered.

Kuroko let out a surprised gasp and turned to the four. "You play Akashi-kun first?" Kuroko asked.

"Yeah." Snart answered. "Who's Akashi?"

"He's the former captain of the Generation of Miracles. Current captain of Rakuzan. That team is really strong, be on your guard," Ryuto cautioned.

"We will," Cisco said.

"Actually, Cisco, there's something we should talk about," Ryuto said motioning for him to come to him.

Cisco nodded and walked towards him. Ryuto put his arm over Cisco's shoulder in order to get as much privacy as he could.

"I'm sure Coach Wells has had you guys studying on all of your opponents," Ryuto said in a hushed tone.

Cisco nodded in response.

"Have you seen anything from Rakuzan?" Ryuto asked.

Cisco nodded again. "We already have a game plan. Oliver is determined to defeat that flashy, Barry is defending the blonde guy, Diggle is the only one who can take on the muscular guy, I'm on Akashi, and Snart's on that guy with the low presence."

"Okay, just making sure. Do you know about Seijūrō's abilities?" Ryuto asked.

Cisco nodded again. "They're similar to my own, but it doesn't have the same effect."

"Even so, be on your guard. Rakuzan is one of the strongest teams in the country, don't hold back," Ryuto cautioned.

"We won't. We came here to win and that's what we plan on doing," Cisco replied.

Ryuto removed his arm from Cisco's shoulder and separated from him. He gave Cisco a nod and turned to the others.

"I got to get going. Good luck on Monday, I'll be watching," Ryuto said with a smile.

Barry responded with his own smile while Snart merely grunted.

"I should get going, too," Kagami said.

"As should I. It was a pleasure meeting you three," Kuroko said with a polite bow.

"Nice to meet you, too, Tetsuya," Snart said.

Kuroko nodded in response and faced Barry and Cisco who gave their own good byes. The three Japanese boys then watched as the three American boys entered their hotel. They then turned away and walked towards the train station. Once there, they caught a train ride towards their houses.

"Man, today was fun," Kagami said switching to Japanese.

"Yeah it was," Ryuto agreed.

"Your American friends are interesting, Ryuto-kun, Kagami-kun," Kuroko said.

"I'm surprised you hit it off with Snart. That guy has literally one friend," Kagami said.

"From what we spoke about he seemed to be honorable," Kuroko replied.

Kagami shrugged. "I don't know about honor, but I respect him and a basketball player."

"I have yet to see that, so I can't judge him on that," Kuroko replied.

Kuroko and Kagami continued to talk, while Ryuto thought about the schedule for the games. After Rakuzan, Central City High School played against Yosen the next day. After that game is a one day break, and they play again on Thursday against Kaijo and Friday against Shutoku, with a break on Saturday. Their final two games were Tōō on Sunday and finally Seirin on Monday. To anyone this would just be scheduling, but Ryuto inferred that Coach Wells purposefully put the game Seirin last, since both he and Kagami were on it. The train came to a stop at his stop, but Ryuto was still too caught up in thought to tell.

"Yo, Ryuto, this is your stop," Kagami called out.

Kagami's voice took Ryuto away from his thoughts. He looked up and saw the sign for his home area.

"Thanks guys. See you on Monday, probably," Ryuto said darting off the train.

When he got to his cousins house, he put on exercise clothes and walked to the nearest street ball court. There he began to shoot and practice, knowing that his opponents would have gotten stronger since he last saw them. However, the thought of playing them fired him up and he hated having to wait a week to do it.

 **AN: And here comes to an end chapter 6. This one was a reunion as well as a way to have one last non-game chapter before all the chapters become matches. I enjoyed writing this chapter all the same. I know most of you are wondering why Snart knows Japanese, I just thought it would be funny so I went with it.**

 **It has come to my attention that some of my readers aren't those who came from the previous story, so some things seem unexplained. I want to apologize for that since it slipped my mind as I was writing. From the next chapter on, I'll try to alleviate doubts some may have over the story. Unless you want me to dump it, send me a PM.**

 **With that out of the way, I hope you enjoyed this chapter and stay tuned for the next one. Great ready for the first match, Rakuzan vs. Central City, its bound to be a great match. Remember to follow, favorite, and/or review if you haven't already.**


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Future Sight

There was a lot of buzz Monday afternoon. Everyone was talking about the exhibition match against the American team. Wells put a lot of effort advertising the series of matches, having ads in the radio and in the newspaper. There was again talk about how the American challenged Seirin to a game and it brought the team to the center of attention again. Even with the school year about to end, it seemed like a basketball game was all people would talk about. The basketball team gathered at the gym, they wanted to have a short practice before the game; as it was at 6 pm. The team did basic drills: lay ups, passing, jump shots, and ball handling. They had seen videos of Central City High School, but they all knew they were not playing at 100%. They also used Ryuto and Kagami's knowledge to get an idea of how they would play.

After seeing the schedule for the game, everyone was surprised that Central City High School was going to play Rakuzan first. However, Ryuto had an idea as to why.

"It's probably because Coach Wells wants to make a statement by beating Rakuzan first," Ryuto said to everyone.

"From what we've seen, they do seem strong. But defeating Rakuzan, that's not going to be easy," Hyuga replied.

Ryuto shrugged. "I have yet to see them play as a high school time with my own eyes. So I'll make that judgement today."

"Whatever the case, it's sure to be an interesting match," Kiyoshi said.

After the practice, the team agreed to meet up at the arena where the game was going to be held. They agreed to go in their warmup clothes, in order to represent their school. Ryuto arrived at his cousin's house and saw her getting ready to leave to the game.

"Hey. You heading out soon?" Ryuto greeted.

Satsuki nodded. "Yep. I'm going to meet up with Dai-chan and the others and watch the game."

"How's Aomine reacting to all of this?"

"He's excited. I've never seen him this excited about something."

Ryuto let out a laugh. Imaging Aomine's smile as he practiced was something he would have lived to see. "I'm sure he is."

Satsuki smiled. "I'm just glad this team came at the right time."

"You think so?"

Satsuki nodded. "I want Dai-chan to feel like he's being challenged and right now he feels that way. Especially when he watched one player in particular. I think his name was Allen."

"Barry," Ryuto confirmed. "I'm sure those two will have a blast playing each other."

"I hope you're right," Satsuki said tucking a strand of pink hair behind her ear. "I should get going and meet up with Dai-chan and the others."

"Sure, see you there," Ryuto said.

The cousins hugged and Ryuto watched as she exited the house. He then walked towards to the bathroom and took a quick shower. He then put on the team's white long sleeved shirt with the warmup pants, along with the jacket. It had been awhile since he last wore the warmup clothes and it brought a smile to his face that he was wearing it again. He grabbed his bag and put it over his shoulder. He called out to his aunt and uncle that he was leaving and exited the house.

Using the address on the ads for the match, Ryuto found out that the games were going to be held where the Winter Cup was held. Looking at the arena from afar brought back a lot of memories, despite most of them being recent. As he walked towards the arena, he saw just how many people had come to watch the game. It caught him by surprise, but then he remembered that it was not everyday someone got to see a Japanese high school play against an American one.

He walked towards the entrance and felt his phone buzz. He took it out and saw that the team was meeting up at the south side of the arena. Ryuto put his phone away and began to jog towards them. As he got closer he quickly noticed Kagami's red hair.

"Hey, guys!" Ryuto called out.

"Great, now that you're here the only one left it Kuroko," Riko said.

"But I'm right here," Kuroko said. Everyone turned to the side and saw Kuroko was standing there with his usual confused expression, making everyone jump in surprise while Ryuto laughed.

"Come on, we should find seats for all of us," Izuki said.

The group nodded and they all walked towards the stands. When they found seats, everyone noticed Tōō sitting in front of them.

"What the? Tōō?" Hyuga said startled.

A boy with dark hair, glasses, and squinting eyes turned towards them and gave a smile. "Ah, if it isn't Seirin. How've you been?"

The rest of the Tōō team turned and greeted Seirin while Aomine stared at Ryuto, Kagami, and Kuroko.

"I thought you and the third years retired, Imayoshi?" Izuki asked.

"Well, we did, but when we heard about an American team challenging Tōō we couldn't pass up that chance," Imayoshi answered. "I'm sure other third years feel the same way I do."

"Oi, Ryu, Kagami, you know these guys, right?" Aomine asked. Kagami and Ryuto nodded in response. "What are they like?"

"They're strong, that's for sure," Kagami answered.

"To be honest, this is the first time I've seen them play in about a year, so I don't know." Ryuto answered.

"What can you tell me about that Barry guy?"

"He's fast," Kagami answered.

"How about you watch this game to find out," Ryuto said.

Aomine grunted and turned back towards the court.

On the court, there was a podium with a microphone attached to it. Ryuto rose an eyebrow at the sight. He was now expecting for Coach Wells to address everyone in the arena. Soon after, both teams entered the court and there was a roar of applause from the stands. Ryuto watched as Central City High School made their way to their bench. He could tell that they were nervous, not nervous to play but nervous for being in front of such a large crowd. Once both teams were settled, they both stood in front of their benches looking towards the podium. Coach Wells then walked up to the podium along with another man, who was likely his translator.

"Good evening, everyone. My name is Harrison Wells and I am the coach of the Central City High School basketball team. I'm very glad to have the opportunity to come to Japan and play against some of the best high school teams. I could not be happier that all the teams decided to play against us in a series of exhibition matches that will span this whole week. Everyone has practiced hard for this and I hope that everyone here today will enjoy a good game of basketball. Thanks you for coming and I thank the schools for accepting our challenge."

The was a quick moment of silence as the translator finished Wells's speech and when he finished there was clapping throughout the arena. Wells gave a bow and turned to his team.

When Wells finished his speech, everyone on the teams began to grab a basketball to start their warm ups. Central City High School made two lines, one with a ball and one without. The one with the ball passed to the player under the basket to shoot a lay up.

Barry looked towards the Japanese team and quickly noticed how they were all in the same rhythm. It was startling for him at just how coordinated the team was. However, he noticed the starting five were warming up separately. The red head, Akashi, seemed to stare down Barry. His bright red eyes seemed to pierce him. Akashi radiated authority, and everyone followed his orders without question; a true emperor.

"Hey, Barry," Cisco's voice called out breaking Barry from his thoughts.

"Y-y-yeah, what's up?" Barry asked.

"You okay? You seem pale."

"I'm fine. Just nervous, I guess. Playing in a different country is nerve racking."

Cisco nodded and gave Barry the ball he was holding. Barry took a deep breath and sprinted towards the basket. He jumped, higher than he has ever before. He held the ball up high and slammed it into the basket. He hung on the rim for a moment before landing. He looked towards the stands and saw Ryuto staring at him wide eyed.

Barry smiled and turned away. I'll show you. I'll show you just how much stronger I've gotten. He thought.

In the stands, Ryuto and Kagami were taken aback at Barry's dunk. He had looked towards them with a lot of confidence. They both knew he had improved, but by how much they still did not know. His dunk, however, seemed to show just how much.

Aomine smiled at the sight. He did not know Barry like Kagami or Ryuto, but watching him dunk fired him up. "You were right, Ryu, that guy is strong," Aomine said.

Ryuto did not respond, he simply watch the warmup.

On Rakuzan's side, Seijūrō watched everyone closely. Even more so, Barry and Cisco. To him those two were the strongest and based on the dunk, Barry was stronger than what he showed. The buzzer then rang and both walked towards their benches. The five starters were chosen and game plans were decided, the teams prepared to play.

Both teams stood in front of one another in the center of the court, listening to the announcer introduce them. "Today's exhibition match is between Central City High School and Rakuzan High School."

"Bow," the referee ordered. Both teams bowed and thanked each other.

When Barry straitened himself, he saw Seijūrō's hand was extended. Barry took it and the two shook hands. "Good luck. I wish you the best," Seijūrō said politely in English.

Barry nodded. "Likewise. If you don't mind me asking, where did you learn English?"

Seijūrō gave a small laugh before responding. "My cousin is Ryuto after all. Plus, I thought it would be good if I knew a second language."

"Huh, so you're his cousin?"

"Not by blood. Family ties is more like it."

Barry nodded in response. "Well, good luck. May the best team win."

"Of course, but you should know I don't loose," Seijūrō said with a hint of menace.

Barry nodded again and turned back towards his team, who were gathered around the referee. The referee introduced himself in English and explained how the officiating was going to go.

"I'll be the one calling fouls and such in English, while my colleague will in Japanese. Most of the calls are similar as in the States, for the sake of simplicity I'm going to translate them for you. Does everyone understand?"

The team nodded in response.

"Good, now let's play," the referee said as he blew his whistle.

Both teams set up for the jump ball. Before anything there was a massive amount of tension. The crowd remained silent waiting for the match to start. Ryuto and Kagami looked on with nervousness, wondering what was going to happen. Then the ball was tossed into the air and the match began.

Diggle was the one to make it to the ball first and passed it towards Cisco. Cisco grabbed the ball and started to dribble towards the basket. He quickly noticed at just how fast Rakuzan had set up for offense. The quickness caught him off guard and stopped his advance at the three point line. Cisco surveyed the defense, it was man-to-man, but Rakuzan defended in a way that it would difficult to attack gaps.

Cisco took a deep breath and readied himself. Coach Wells had said to not show too many of their cards in the first match, so he opted for a play. He held up two fingers and called out one word: "Arrow". Everyone nodded and moved into position. Cisco dribbled to his right and gave a handoff to Barry, while he screened his defender. Seijūrō moved in to defend Barry to cut off his advance. Rather than attack the basket, Barry passed towards Snart. Snart found an opening in the defense and attacked, causing Oliver's defender to assist in defending him.

Snart then stopped in his tracks and passed it towards Oliver. Rakuzan noticed their plan, but Mibuchi was too late to stop Oliver's shot. Oliver released it and it soared in a straight line, bouncing off the back board and into the hoop. Oliver smiled, pleased that he scored the first point of the match.

"What was that release?" Nebuya asked confused.

"Yeah, it shouldn't have worked," Hayama added.

"He shot it like if it was an arrow. He's like an archer when he shoots, always hitting his target," Mibuchi said.

"These guys are more interesting than I expected," Seijūrō said. "Let's show them the strength of Rakuzan."

The first quarter continued, and it seemed to be a stalemate. Each team would score even, no one was able to take the lead. For Rakuzan it was obvious that their opponents were not going at full strength. Seijūrō payed close attention to the movements Cisco would make, taking notice of how he almost always passed it towards Barry. On defense, Seijūrō ordered for the defense on Barry to tighten, while the others loosened their defense. Cisco noticed the changed drove towards the basket. As he took his first step, his vision turned blue and he saw himself attacking the basket.

However, instead of making progress the ball was swiped away by Seijūrō. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Snart open. Cisco's vision returned to normal and he switched from a drive to a pass. Snart caught the ball and crossed over in one motion, causing Mayuzumi to be frozen in place. Nebuya moved to defend, but Snart passed the ball to Diggle who scored a lay up.

"So, that's how your ability works," Seijūrō said with a smile and glow to his eyes. "Now is where the real game begins."

As Seijūrō said those words, the buzzer rang for the end of the first quarter. Both teams sat at their benches, taking a quick break before the next quarter. Central City High School went over the details of Rakuzan's play style.

"They really haven't shown anything out of the ordinary," Snart said.

"Yeah, they aren't really going at full strength," Cisco added taking a drink of water.

"Then again, neither are we," Barry replied.

"And you will remain that way. Do not show anything that will give opponents an edge. They start with the ball this quarter, don't give them an inch. The score may be tied at 20, but don't loosen the defense," Wells explained.

The five players nodded and prepared to play.

"These guys aren't going at full strength. I'm pretty disappointed," Mibuchi said.

"Yeah, that big guy seemed like he had promise, but now I don't know," Nebuya added.

"Don't let your guard down," Seijūrō said sternly.

The four on the bench raised their eyebrows.

"Are you sure? I'm sure we can beat these fools without you needing to do so much," Hayama replied.

"Yes, I'm sure. However, we'll have to force them to go at full strength. Even with that, they cannot defeat Rakuzan."

The four on the bench gave a nod and prepared to play the second quarter.

"That was a boring quarter," Aomine said with a grunt.

"To be honest, I was expecting more from an American team," Imayoshi added.

"They clearly weren't going full strength," Kuroko said. Everyone jumped back in surprise when Kuroko spoke. Meanwhile, Ryuto simply sighed.

"Guys, he's not that easy to forget," Ryuto said. "Anyways, he's right, they aren't going at full strength. But I have a feeling that Seijūrō will force them to play stronger."

"Why would he do that?" Kagami asked.

"Probably to not play a boring game," Aomine said with a shrug.

The buzzer then rang and the second quarter began. Seijūrō received the inbound and prepared for offense. Seijūrō stopped at the three point line, where Cisco stood ready to defend.

"I have you all figured out," Seijūrō said in English.

Cisco let out a sharp gasp.

"You ability is similar to my own. You can see the future as well, however, you see an entire event unfold, while I only see a second. There is only one problem with yours, your vision does not work on defense."

Cisco gasped again and went wide eyed. He looked towards Seijūrō, his presence now seemed to tower over Cisco. He looked the red head in the eyes and Cisco felt intimidated. Seijūrō then crossed over quickly causing Cisco to trip over himself. Cisco looked back towards Seijūrō, he now seemed like a giant.

"If you will not go full strength, you will be crushed." Diggle moved into to defend, but Seijūrō ankle broke him as well. He then scored a lay up without anyone to defend him. "I hope you do understand, I didn't come here to play against weaklings or half strength players." Seijūrō then turned away and walked towards offense, with the other players behind him.

"So, this is Rakuzan," Barry said intimidated.

The other four nodded in response.

The quarter continued and Rakuzan dominated. Central City High School seemed unable to score. On their offense, Cisco moved to pass, but Seijūrō cut it off before he could release it. Cisco could see red rings in Seijūrō's eyes as he passed by him. He then drove towards the basket, but Barry got a head of him and stopped his advance.

"I won't let you through!" Barry called out.

Seijūrō did not respond. He placed the ball behind his back and used his elbow to pass to Hayama.

"Nice pass," Hayama called out scoring a lay up.

On the next offensive possession for Central City High School, Cisco quickly surveyed Rakuzan. They had gotten stronger since the beginning of the second quarter and it showed, since they were up by ten points with 6 minutes left on the clock. Cisco cursed at how long the quarters were, 10 minutes seemed outrageous. Cisco noticed Oliver had broken away from his mark and sent a pass towards him, but the ball was cut off by Mayazumi. Cisco was left surprised at the sight. He quickly realized that his Vibes were not activating.

Mayuzumi recovered the loose ball and threw it down the court, where Mibuchi was waiting. Mibuchi set up for a three and Oliver jumped to defend it, however, Mibuchi never left the ground.

Crap, he went for Earth Oliver thought.

Mibuchi then smiled, jumped up, and released the ball. As he did so Oliver jumped into him and the referee blew his whistle. The ball bounced off the rim and into the basket, scoring a three.

"Pushing. Number 5, Red. One throw."

Oliver cursed at himself for falling for the fake. He knew and mastered all the shooting forms, he was not supposed to fall for any of them.

As Mibuchi set up for a free throw, Coach Wells had a look of disappointment on his face.

"They had taken a 14 point lead. We should take a time out and regroup," Stein said.

"I know, Martin. I know how to fix the problem," Wells replied.

Coach Wells then stood up and called for a time out. The time out was given after Mibuchi scored his free throw. Central City High School hung their heads in defeat, while Rakuzan held theirs up high. The crowd chanted Rakuzan's name, showing admiration to the home team.

In the stands, Ryuto watched closely at the American team. He noticed that somehow Seijūrō managed to defeat Cisco's own ability.

"To think the American team would be such a let down," Aomine said disappointed.

"What is up with them? Rakuzan is dominating," Wakamatsu added.

"Seijūrō managed to stop Cisco's own future reading ability," Ryuto inferred.

"You're telling me he has an Emperor Eye too?" Aomine asked in disbelief.

Ryuto nodded a no and explained. "He doesn't have the Emperor Eye. He calls his ability a Vibe. Cisco can see an entire event play out based on his movement or that of his opponent and Seijūrō found it's weakness. It only works on offense. Cisco has to be touching the ball for it to work."

"In a way it's stronger than Akashi-kun's eyes," Riko added.

"To think they have someone like that and they can't even capitalize on it," Imayoshi said with a laugh.

What will you do Cisco? Ryuto thought.

On the bench, Cisco punched it in frustration. "Damn it!" he yelled out.

"Relax, Cisco. You just hit a slump, you'll bounce back," Barry said reassuring his friend.

"No, he won't," Wells said sternly.

Cisco looked up to him with an expression of disbelief. "Wait, give me a shot," Cisco argued.

Coach Wells nodded a no. "Ever since your blunder the opponent has taken a 14 point lead. And it I'm correct, you can no longer Vibe."

Cisco hung his head in defeat. He tightened his fist and clenched his teeth, it was obvious he was frustrated. Barry tried to talk to him, but he got a glare from Coach Wells before he could say anything.

"For the remainder of the quarter Ray will be taking your place, Cisco," Wells said.

"Okay," Cisco muttered.

Barry looked towards Cisco, but he could not see what he was feeling; his hair covered his face. Barry assumed he was frustrated and he felt bad, his friend was being benched for making a mistake.

"New game plan: since Ray is point guard, Barry you'll be in charge of leading on the court," Wells said.

Barry and Ray nodded in response. "Good, now then slow the pace of the game. The quarters a longer here than back home, however, be mindful of the shot clock."

The five players nodded and stood up ready to continue playing. The buzzer sounded and both teams walked onto the court. Rakuzan looked towards their opponents and they all noticed that Cisco was benched.

"Looks like they benched him. It did seem like the most logical option," Mibuchi said.

"Now we're sure to win," Nebuya said flexing.

"Don't get too confident. We have yet to see them at full strength," Seijūrō cautioned. The Rakuzan players nodded and prepared to keep playing.

In the stands, Tōō and Seirin made their own comments about Cisco being benched.

"So, they did bench him," Imayoshi said.

"It only makes sense if you make so many mistakes," Hyuga added. "What do you think, Ryuto?'

"I agree with you, Captain. It does seem like the best course of action," Ryuto affirmed.

"How do you think things will go now?" Izuki asked.

Ryuto shrugged. "I have no clue."

As they finished talking, the buzzer sounded for a point scored. Seirin and Tōō looked towards the court and saw Oliver landing on the ground. It was now Central City High Schools turn to dominate the game.

With Ray at point guard the pace of the game seemed to slow down. Central City High School was cautious in making its moves. They passed the ball around and when the ball was passed to Snart, he found an opening and attacked the basket. As he drove, Nebuya moved to defend his advance while Mayuzumi moved to defend Diggle. Snart knew that Mauzumi could not beat Diggle in a contest of strength, but he did know Mayuzumi was quick and could easily steal the ball. In a quick decision, Snart froze Nebuya in place with a crossover and continued his advance. Mayzaumi moved in to defend, but Snart used the moment to pass to Diggle. Diggle received the ball and scored a lay up. As they jogged to defense, Diggle slapped Snart's back.

"Nice pass."

"Sure," Snart replied.

Seijūrō stared at Snart as he jogged away, and knew he had to shut him down.

"Mayuzumi, I need you to put more pressure on defense," Seijūrō said.

Mayuzumi nodded in response and jogged to offense.

During Rakuzan's offense, they quickly found out just how fast Barry was. After not doing much during the first quarter and largely holding back in the beginning of the second, it was noticeable just how strong Barry was. Seijūrō sent a pass towards Hayama, but in a flurry of movement Barry was the one who caught the pass. Barry then darted down the court, poised to score a lay up but Seijūrō managed to keep up and get in front of him.

"Did you slow down?" Seijūrō asked.

Barry simply smirked and jab-faked left and went right. Seijūrō managed to recover quickly and continue to defend Barry, but he spun around Seijūrō and scored a close range jump shot. The crowd, which was still largely on Rakuzan's side, applauded what they had just witnessed, commenting on just how fluid Barry's motions were.

"He's fast, Sei-chan," Mibuchi said.

"He's still holding back. He can go faster," Seijūrō replied.

Rakuzan returned to offense and Seijūrō surveyed the defense. He saw that Barry was loosely guarding Hayama, no doubt planning to use his speed to intercept a pass. Seijūrō made sign towards Hayama, and Hayama nodded. Seijūrō dribbled towards Hayama, while Hayam moved towards Seijūrō. Seijūrō the held the ball to his side and Hayama grabbed it; a handoff. Seijūrō screened Barry and Ray switched marks. Hayama noticed and started to dribble.

"Heh, only three fingers should be enough," Hayama said with a smile.

Ray rose an eyebrow, confused to what he had said. Ray's gaze shifted towards the ball and saw that Hayama only had three of his fingers on it. Hayama then dribbled causing the ground to shake. In one swift movement, Hayama dribbled past Ray. Nebuya then moved out of the way giving Hayama an open lane, and he scored a lay up. The crowd went ecstatic, calling out Hayama's Lightning Dribble.

In the stands, Ryuto grumbled at the sight. He knew he and Hayama had similar techniques, and it bothered him to see Hayama's. Beside him, Riko gave a low giggle seeing Ryuto's expression.

Back on the court, Ray cursed at being so easily beaten. Barry walked over to him and placed his hand on his shoulder.

"Don't worry. I'll make sure to stop him," Barry said with a smile.

Another Rakuzan offensive possession, Seijūrō passed the ball to Hayama. Barry got into a defensive stance and readied himself for Hayama's attack. Hayama smiled as he started to dribble.

"I've only had to use five once, but I'll make an exception for you," Hayama said.

Barry prepared himself for Hayama's dribble. He saw just how strong it was when Hayama used it on Ray, and he was prepared for something even stronger with five fingers. Hayama put all five fingers on the ball and when it hit the floor, it felt like an earthquake rocked the court. Barry saw the his dribble picking up speed, then in a burst of movement he did a crossover. Barry's eyes widened, it was so similar to Ryuto's own Lightning Crossover. He turned back to see Hayama still in close proximity to him.

It may be similar to Ryuto's, but he's not as fast as him Barry thought.

In a burst of speed, Barry managed to keep up with Hayama. He over took him and stopped his advance. Hayama frowned, but kept his dribbling momentum. He continued to do his dribble, but to his surprise Barry lunged towards the ball. Hayama did a quick crossover and narrowly avoided the ball being stolen. He then attacked the basket and scored a lay up.

He defiantly has a faster dribble than Ryuto, but I think I got the timing down Barry thought.

He then looked over to the scoreboard and saw that they had a minute and a half left until halftime. Even though they were ahead by four, he knew it would only take a few moments for Rakuzan to catch up.

Before the inbound, Barry called out to Ray and Oliver. "New game plan: score as many threes as you can. We need to widen the score gap."

The two boys nodded and prepared for the inbound. Ray received it and the three boys jogged down the court. Barry jogged next to Oliver, the boys looked at each other and nodded. Barry then looked over to Ray who understood the plan. Oliver stopped at the half court line, causing all of the Rakuzan players to question what was going on. Ray passed the ball to Oliver and he set up for a shot. Mibuchi and Seijūrō's eyes widened, the blonde was shooting from half court and form his body language he was confident.

In the stands, Midorima watched closely at the American shooting guard. He had seen videos of Oliver shooting from half court, but he had yet to see it in a game.

With Tōō and Seirin, they both caught by surprise at Oliver's position, except for Ryuto and Kagami who had seen him do it before. Aomine's interest was now peaked as the American team continued to show more of their strength.

Back on the court, Mibuchi raced to block Oliver. When he arrived, he immediately jumped to block the shot. He quickly noticed Oliver had never jumped, it was a fake. Oliver used that moment to quickly dribble around Mibuchi and set up closer to the three point line. He jumped and released, unguarded, scoring a three. The crowd cheered at the excitement of the game, it was obvious that the game had intensified after the bland first quarter.

Time ticked down, and the final minute turned into a battle between shooting guards. However, Oliver seemed to have calmed down and was able to easily read what type of shot Mibuchi would take. With five seconds left in the quarter, CCHS was still in the lead by only three points and Rakuzan was determined to tie up the game. Seijūrō eyes glowed with a red ring as he defended Ray. Ray made a motion to pass to Oliver, but faked it. Seijūrō read the move and jabbed at the ball, causing Ray to loose the ball. Seijūrō picked up the loose ball and dribbled down the court. However the ball was stolen from him and Barry sped in front of him and slapped the ball away in one motion. Seijūrō's eyes widened as he saw a red-orange spark in Barry's eyes.

Oliver recovered the ball and set up for the three at the half court line. Miuchi was unable to defend as he was too late to stop Oliver's release. As the ball left his hands, the buzzer rang. There was tension as the ball sailed towards the basket, everyone wanted to know if the basket counted; and when it bounced off the backboard and into the hoop, the referee blew his whistle counting the shot. CCHs was now ahead by six, with the score being 56-50.

Both teams returned to their benches and prepared for halftime. Barry noticed Seijūrō staring at him. Barry turned to face him as well, but Seijūrō turned away and towards his team. Barry rose an eyebrow, but dismissed it.

Both teams walked off the court and towards their locker rooms, for a fifteen minute half time.

In the stands Aomine let out a grunt and stood up. "I'm going to get a drink."

As he walked away, he eyed Ryuto giving him a clear message. Ryuto nodded and stood up too. "I'm going to grab something too. Riko, you want something?"

She nodded no. "I'm good, thanks."

"What about you guys?" Ryuto asked the rest.

They all nodded no and thanked him for asking, except Koga who asked for a water for Mitobe. Ryuto laughed at the sight and walked to catch up with Aomine. As Ryuto walked up the steps to the hallway, Aomine was waiting for him. He noticed Ryuto and continued to walk. The two teens walked in silence, until they reached the vending machine.

"What's you're opinion of the American team so far?" Ryuto asked.

Aomine pressed a button on the machine for a soda. "They're defiantly hiding their full capabilities." The soda can dropped and Aomine bent over to grab it.

Ryuto moved towards the vending machine to buy something as well. "That's true, but I think there's a reason behind it." He then bent down and grabbed two water bottles.

Aomine rose an eyebrow. "What makes you say that?"

"They probably underestimated Japanese basketball."

"How did you figure that?"

"I'm sure they did research on all the teams, but they still went into the game underestimating the opponent. For instance, Cisco knew about Seijūrō's ability and yet he was defeated. You catch my drift?"

Aomine nodded in response. "So you're saying that…"

"That in the second half things are about to get livelier."

The CCHS locker room was silent, except for the clicking of Coach Wells's pen. He sighed as he went over Felicity's notes, and it was obvious that he was not leased. He gave back the notes to Felicity and cleared his throat gaining everyone's attention.

"I'm going to get straight to the point, we preformed poorly the first quarter and the beginning half of the second quarter as well. You guys defiantly improved, but not enough. This is a beatable team, we all know that."

The team remained silent, they knew it was the truth. Barry released his breath an stood up, now he was the center of attention.

"It's obvious we underestimated these guys. That caused us to be confident. We finished the first quarter tied and now we're only ahead by six. We need to get out heads out of our asses and play as hard as we can. It's the first time in a long while that we've had to play at our fullest, and let's make it count."

After listening to Barry, the team had a change in demeanor. They all seemed confident. Even the defeated Cisco seemed ready to keep playing.

"Coach," Cisco said speaking up, "I know I can beat that red head. Give me another shot."

Wells nodded and held up one finger. "You have one chance. I want you playing at 110%."

Cisco nodded excitedly. "I will, I promise."

Barry smiled at his friends newfound confidence. Seijūrō had shown him just how strong he was and it defeated his spirit, but his newfound spirit was something he had to admire. The team huddled together and psyched each other up for the next half.

Meanwhile, in Rakuzan's locker room, they discussed strategy for the upcoming quarter.

"No doubt they'll be firing at all cylinders this next half. We better be prepared for it." Coach Shirogane said. "I'll leave any in game decisions to Akashi. Now is when we take the lead."

"Yes!" the team said in unison.

Seijūrō meanwhile remained silent. He was still processing seeing Barry's eyes spark. He began to wonder if Barry could use the Zone. Or perhaps he was just discovering it. There were too many 'what if' scenarios playing through his head. He had to bring it out of him in one way or another.

"Sei-chan?" Mibuchi's voice called out.

Seijūrō rapidly blinked a few times as he shifted from his thoughts to facing his teammate.

"You seemed focused," Mibuchi said.

"Their captain, his eyes sparked." Seijūrō replied.

Mibuchi cocked his head to the side. "What do you mean?"

"What are you hiding Barry Allen?" Seijūrō mumbled.

Soon after, both teams walked onto the court. The crowd cheered at the sight of both team. Meanwhile, Ryuto watched closely at his cousin and his friends. Seijūrō seemed to be calm and collected, as he usually was, while his friends had determination written in their faces. Ryuto looked towards Cisco, his defeated expression was gone as if it was never there. Ryuto gave a satisfied smiled and sat back.

"Looks like things are about to get interesting," Ryuto muttered.

His teammates looked over to him, wondering what he had said, while Taiga smiled and Aomine managed to hear as well, causing a smile to form on his face. The starting players walked onto the court, and Cisco turned to face Seijūrō. Seijūrō gave him a quick glance and determined his intent.

"You beat me last time, now it won't be so easy," Cisco said.

"I may not be able to stop your ability, but I never loose. Winning is like breathing for me," Seijūrō said.

As he walked away form Cisco, he saw Barry looking at him out of the corner of his eye. Seijūrō gave a small smile before turing away.

I will bring out your Zone. I want to know your trigger Seijūrō thought.

The game resumed and CCHS started with the ball. Snart inbounded the ball to Cisco and as soon as he touched it, his vision changed to blue and saw the ball being knocked out of his hands by Mayuzumi. His vision went back to normal and he managed to narrowly avoiding the steal from Mayuzumi. Cisco passed the ball to Snart and he drove towards the basket, unguarded. Nebuya moved to defend him, but Snart stopped his advance and passed to a now open Diggle. Diggle caught the ball and jumped up for a lay up scoring. CCHS jogged towards offense, and Seijūrō watched Cisco closely, he had regained his vision ability.

"Thank you for the test Mayuzumi. He has regained his ability, we need to strike quickly on offense. Mayuzmi, I'm counting on you for that," Seijūrō said.

Mayuzumi nodded and prepared for offense.

On Rakuzan's offense, Seijūrō noticed Mayuzumi moving away from his mark. Seijūrō then passed the ball towards Nebuya, but Diggle managed to get in front of him to catch the ball. Suddenly, Diggle saw a flash of grey and saw that Mayuzumi had redirected the ball towards an open Mibuchi. Oliver was caught off guard and was not able to block Mibuchi's shot. Mibuchi's shot had brought CCHS's lead to three and not two minutes had passed.

After getting the inbound, Cisco survey his opponent. Seijūrō was calm and collected as always, while the others on the team seemed to waiting for something. The Cisco's vision changed to a blue color. As he dribbled the ball, Mayuzumi moved in to steal the ball away. Cisco's vision returned to normal and he crossed over, avoiding the steal. However, Seijūrō used that moment to steal the ball away form Cisco. Seijūrō darted down the court, but Barry overtook him, in a burst of speed, and ready to defend. Seijūrō's eyes then began to glow with a red ring in them, and in that moment Barry had fallen to the floor.

Barry's eyes widened, he had just been ankle broken and it happened so fast not even he could see it coming. Barry looked back and saw Seijūrō scoring a lay up. Now the point gap was only one. In two minutes Rakuzan had taken control of the third quarter.

In the stands people cheered for Rakuzan's offensive strength. Meanwhile, Ryuto watched Cisco closely. His ability was beat again and yet he did not seem defeated.

"Looks like Mayuzumi's low presence won't work on Cisco," Ryuto said aloud.

Tōō and Seirin nodded in agreement and then they all looked towards Kuroko.

"Yes, that does mean Kuroko will be seen as well. However, it's not like Takao's Hawk Eye. Cisco will only be able to see what Kuroko will do if he goes after something he does. Does that make sense?" Ryuto asked.

"Somewhat," Hyuga said.

"So, steals won't work unless you've got a partner," Imayoshi said adjusting his glasses.

"In a way. Seijūrō used Mayuzumi's low presence to active Cisco's Vibe. So in his motion to counter the event he saw, Seijūrō used that opening for a steal. They're, in a way, double teaming Cisco. Making sure he doesn't pass." Ryuto explained.

"How will that affect in the long run? I'm sure he'll be benched if something like this happens again," Wakamatsu commented.

Ryuto shrugged. "We'll just have to see."

As the game continued, Cisco found it difficult to avoid Seijūrō and Mayuzmi's double team. One would go for a steal, causing Cisco's Vibe to activate and in the motion to correct the on coming error the other would steal the ball. In Cisco's head, it was just like the second quarter all over again, Rakuzan had managed to counter Cisco's ability and were capitalizing on it. Rakuzan had taken an eight point lead and CCHS had yet to score, the clock was wining down at a snails pace for Cisco. He caught the inbound and dribbled slowly down the court. He looked towards the scoreboard, they had just passed the six minute mark and they had yet to make progress.

Cisco turned to Coach Wells who had yet to pull him out again, but he seemed calm, or was at least masking his disappointment. Cisco turned towards Seijūrō, who stood in front of him ready to defend. He knew what was coming next, but had no way to stop it and it was now or never. He looked towards Barry, his captain nodded at him. It was an encouraging nod, as if he was telling him to keep trying. Cisco took a deep breath and released it, his mind felt clearer all of a sudden. He no longer felt as clouded as before. He turned to Seijūrō and he looked at Cisco with curious eyes wondering what the point guard was up to.

Then in one quick motion, Cisco sent a pass towards Oliver at incredible speeds. Oliver caught the pass, but his eyes widened in surprised. Mibuchi was also caught off guard, stunned that he had sent such a reckless pass.

 _No, not reckless, he calculated it based on all the steals Sei-chan and Mayuzumi had done to him_ Mibuchi thought.

Mibuchi was too lost in thought to realize that Oliver was setting up for a shot. When he saw him jump, his mind raced back to reality and jumped to block. However, he was too late and Oliver had already released and scored a three.

"Dammit!" Mibuchi said in frustration.

He then felt a hand placed in his shoulder. He looked to the side to see Seijūrō standing next to him. "It wasn't your fault, we were all caught off guard by that. Next time it won't be as surprising."

Mibuchi nodded in response and prepared for offense.

Seijūrō moved the ball quickly towards the other side, wanting to catch CCHS off balance. When he arrived, they were already in position. Seijūrō turned towards Cisco, who had new found determination in his eyes.

How did he bounce back so easily? I made sure to crush his resolve. It had to be that pass, it was as if he already had seen the future when he first touched the ball. Looks like I have to remind him who's superior, Seijūrō thought.

Cisco got into a defensive stance and prepared for Seijūrō's attack. However, after two quick crossovers Cisco fell to the floor. As he fell, his eye's widened while Seijūrō's looked down towards him. Without giving him a second look, Seijūrō drove towards the basket. Diggle moved to defend, but Seijūrō used his superior speed to out maneuver him. Seijūrō jumped for a layup, but Barry managed to block the shot. Seijūrō gave a quick glance at him and saw the frustration in his eyes.

Snart caught the loose ball and dribbled down the court, as fast as his feet could take him. He was stopped by Mayuzumi, who used his low presence to steal the ball away. He then passed to Mibuchi, who was ready to shoot a three. However, Oliver managed to cut off the pass. Oliver saw Barry running down the court and threw it towards him.

Barry caught the ball and continued towards the basket. Unguarded, he jumped high, just as he did during the warm up, and scored a dunk. The crowd cheered loudly at the quickness of the back and forth. Meanwhile, Imayoshi pushed his hair back and let out a relieved sigh. "Man, that was intense. I could feel the tension up here."

Everyone around him nodded in response. While Ryuto was pensive about Seijūrō ankle breaking Cisco. Cisco had only just managed to not be defeated by him, so it made no sense for him to ankle break him.

 _Unless it was to humiliate him?_ Ryuto thought.

Kagami looked towards Ryuto and noticed how pensive he was. He rose an eyebrow at the sight. He knew Ryuto would get pensive for certain things, but for him it made no sense why he was pensive at the moment.

"What are you thinking about?" Kagami asked.

"Why Seijūrō would ankle break Cisco," Ryuto answered.

Everyone sitting around Ryuto looked towards him. They all know he had some sort of answer. "But I don't know why." Everyone gave him an odd expression, displaying their disappointment.

"Seriously?" Riko asked.

Ryuto nodded. "Seijūrō could've easily overpowered him with speed, but he didn't. Why is that?"

Everyone remained silent, no one had an answer. Until Aomine spoke up. "Maybe he's just trying to show he's the strongest on the court."

"That sounds about right," Ryuto responded.

Both teams turned back to the court. There was three minutes remaining in the game and CCHS was in the lead by two. The teams continued to play at their hardest, not giving an inch. When the buzzer sounded for the quarter to end, the game was a tie 75-75. Both teams sat at their benches, resting to gain back their strength for the next quarter.

At CCHS's bench, Coach Wells addressed the team. "Keep playing hard. You've defiantly improved from the first half. Show these guys just how strong we are."

The five players nodded in response and prepared for the next quarter.

At Rakuzan's bench, Seijūrō did not listen to the coach's instructions. He was more focused and why Cisco had recovered so quickly and why Barry had yet to use his Zone. He tightened the grip of his fist and looked up towards the coach. "You have something to say, Akashi?"

"I'm going to use it," Seijūrō said.

The four on the bench were caught by surprise. Seijūrō seemed determined, yet desperate. "I thought that was only if we were back into a corner," Mibuchi said.

"That Barry guy is holding back his Zone. If I want to bring it out, I'll use mine."

"Are you sure? We did know he was fast, maybe you were just imagining things," Hayama said.

"I'm positive."

"We'll trust your judgment, but save your power until it's absolutely required," Coach Shirogane said.

"I'll accept that."

The buzzer sounded and the final quarter was about to begin. From the stands, Ryuto looked towards Seijūrō. He could tell he wanted something, but what it was he did not know.

 _What are you up to Seijūrō?_ Ryuto thought.

The quarter commenced with Rakuzan having possession of the ball. Seijūrō calmly dribbled the ball down the court, to where Cisco was waiting to defend. In a quick motion, Cisco was ankle broken and Seijūrō, literally, looked down on him.

"You're no longer a threat," he said in a hushed tone.

As Seijūrō drove towards the basket, Barry moved in to defend. Seijūrō stopped his advance and passed towards a now open Hayama. However, in a burst of speed Barry managed to stop the pass. Both Seijūrō and Hayama saw the red-orange sparks coming out of his eyes. Barry dribbled down the court and scored a lay up, the first points of the final quarter went to CCHS.

"Amazing, he's so fast!" Hayama exclaimed getting starry-eyed. "But what was up with his eyes?"

"I will bring it out, one way or another," Seijūrō murmured.

On Rakuzan's next offensive attempt, after a series of passes Mibuchi scored a three putting Rakuzan in the lead. The quarter continued to be a back and forth between both teams. Their offensive skills were practically on par with each other, as well as in defense. At the five minute mark, Coach Wells called a time out so CCHS could have a moment to catch their breaths. The game had been at high intensity since the beginning and both teams were giving it their all. Coach Wells looked towards Rakuzan's bench and saw that Seijūrō was discussing something with the team. Wells nodded to himself and turned to the team.

"Barry." Wells said. Barry's head perked up at the mention of his name. "You'll be guarding the point guard from now on."

Barry was about to protest, when Cisco jumped from his seat. "No way! He was always going to be who I guarded. They're backed into a corner, we have the lead."

Wells looked over to the scoreboard, they were winning 85-83; however, the lead was short. Wells turned back to Cisco, who still had a face full of determination. "Why are you so intent on beating him?"

Cisco tightened the grip of his fist. "I want to prove that I am a threat to him."

In that moment something awakened within Cisco. His eyes turned to a bright blue color, Coach Wells took notice of it, but it seemed Cisco had yet to realize it. _Is it the Zone?_ Wells thought. He then took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes before putting back on. Sure enough his eyes were still blue.

"Very well. You seemed determined, and you have been since the beginning. Continue to give 110%." Wells said with a nod.

"I will, trust me," Cisco exclaimed.

The buzzer rang and both teams walked onto the court. Seijūrō stopped walking and turned towards Cisco, who was staring him down. He noticed Cisco's eyes had changed to a blue color. He gave a puzzled look before turing away. What was that? he thought.

The referee gave the ball to Snart for CCHS's inbound. Snart passed the ball to Cisco and he began to dribble down the court. He stopped when Seijūrō moved to defend him.

Seijūrō quickly studied Cisco, his now blue eyes seemed to glow. Cisco then picked up the pace of his dribble and drove forwards. His vision shifted and he saw Mayuzumi stealing the ball, but he knew if he crossed over Seijūrō would be there to swipe it away. Cisco the stopped his attack and sent a quick pass to Oliver. Cisco then spun around Seijūrō and called for Oliver to pass it back. Using the opening between Mayuzumi and Cisco, Oliver passed the ball to him and Cisco continued his drive. Nebuya then moved to stop Cisco's advance.

Reading Nebuya's movements, Cisco moved to pass to Diggle and Nebuya shifted his movement to block the pass. The movement, however, was a fake and Cisco scored a solo lay up.

The crowd cheered loudly and Cisco's quick movements, commenting on the precision of the passes. In the area where Tōō and Seirin were sitting, everyone was looking towards Ryuto and Kagami for answers.

"From what I saw, he was able to perfectly coordinate with his teammates just by looking at him," Ryuto explained.

"Similar to Direct Zone Drive?" Izuki asked.

"I don't think so. It seemed different, it was like he would share his Vibes with whoever made eye contact with him. But that's what I can come up with," Ryuto explained.

"So it's something neither of you have seen before?" Riko asked.

Kagami and Ryuto nodded and everyone turned back to the court, as CCHS scored another point with Cisco's new ability. Back on the court, Seijūrō stared at Cisco and the glow of his eyes began to fade. It puzzled him to see him awaken an ability and just as quickly disappear. Despite what he said to him at the beginning of the match, Cisco was no longer not a threat. His eyes then shifted to Barry. Even with Cisco's new ability he wanted to bring out Barry's Zone and it was now or never as there were two minutes left in the game and CCHs was still in the lead, 95-85.

As Seijūrō received the inbound, he closed his eyes and took a deep breath. As he released it, he opened his eyes revealing a pink-red lighting. Barry and Cisco's eyes widened and in another swift motion Seijūrō had moved past them. They turned back to see him scoring a lay up. Seijūrō then turned to the two boys and his deadpan expression sent a shiver down their spines.

"It seems I'll have to show you what it truly means to loose."

The rest of CCHS turned towards the other four members of Rakuzan and they all had the same pinkish-red lighting coming from their eyes. They had seen what all of them in the Zone could do, but now they were playing against and it was a completely different.

Cisco dribbled the ball down the court, but his eyes no longer glowed blue. In the split second that Cisco's guard was down, Seijūrō swiped the ball away from him. Barry saw him pick up the loose ball and sprinted after him. Despite Seijūrō being in the Zone, and his speed was greatly increased, Barry kept up and managed to stop his advance.

"If you will not bring out your Zone, then what is the point of using mine," Seijūrō exclaimed.

Barry was about to respond, when he felt himself drop to the floor. Seijūrō dribbled past him and scored another lay up. When he landed, he turned to Barry who was being helped stand by Cisco. Seijūrō's eyes narrowed.

"I don't have the Zone," Barry said.

"Excuse me?" Seijūrō asked.

"The Zone, I don't have it. Whatever you think you saw, it wasn't the Zone," Barry explained.

Seijūrō's eyes widened in surprise. Could it be possible that was imagining things? No, it was impossible he is absolute.

On CCHS's next offensive possession, Cico's vision shifted and he saw Seijūrō stealing the ball. Cisco halted his dribble and moved the ball to behind his back. Cisco looked to his side to see Seijūrō trying to steal a ball that was no longer there, he gave a sly smile and attacked the basket. Mayuzumi moved to defend, but in doing so he left Snart open and Cisco passed the ball towards him. Snart attacked the basket and froze Nebuya with his crossover, allowing for an easy pass towards Diggle, who scored. With only a minute left in the game it seemed that CCHS was going to be the victors.

In the stands, Aomine could not believe that a team that was not in the Zone was over powering a Zone enhanced Rakuzan. He turned to Ryuto, who knew he was going to have to explain things.

"What am I an encyclopedia?" Ryuto asked sarcastically. "To be honest, I have no clue how they're overpowering them."

Aomine let out a groan before turing away. "Well, Akashi's Zone distribution means that they have access to about 90% of the Zone, but it's not true Zone. Perhaps that's why the Americans are overpowering them."

"Maybe. Cisco can see into the future, so he's taking Seijūrō attention and after those swift combo plays, Seijūrō now sees him as a threat," Ryuto said with a shrug.

"Well, there's 45 seconds left. We'll have to wait and see," Satsuki said writing something on her clipboard.

Ryuto nodded and turned back towards the court.

The game was coming down to the wire as both teams scored point after point. With 25 seconds left in the game, the score was tied at 105. Barry panted heavily as Cisco brought the ball past half court. Cisco turned to Barry and nodded towards him. Barry knew the plan, Cisco was going to wait until the last seconds to call out a specific play. At 10 seconds, Cisco raised a finger and yelled out one work: Lightning. Barry knew what that meant. Diggle moved to screen Hayama allowing for Barry to move away from his mark. Barry sprinted towards Cisco and caught the hand off. He then attacked the basket, faster than Seijūrō or anyone could react. Barry then jumped up high and slammed the ball into the basket. As soon as the ball landed on the floor, the buzzer sounded and the game was over, CCHS was victorious over Rakuzan High School, their first victory over Japanese team; 107-105

The crowd was silent, but cheered as soon as Barry pumped his fist into the air. They were cheering at the game they had just witnessed, being so tense.

Barry looked towards the stands and made eye contact with Ryuto. Ryuto nodded at him and Barry turned away to face his team. They all crowded around Barry celebrating their victory. When the five boys separated, Barry saw Seijūrō walk up to him with a defeated expression.

"We lost. Your team is very strong and full of surprises. Congratulations on defeating Rakuzan."

Barry nodded and extended his hand. "Great game. It was hard fought, we defiantly had to bring our all."

Seijūrō gave his own nod and shook Barry's hand. Both teams then lined up on the court, and bowed thanking each other for the game.

In the stands, Seirin had exited the stands everyone was making comments about the game.

"One things for sure, those American guys are on a whole other level," Hyuga said.

"I wonder how they'll fare against Yosen?" Koga asked.

"Whatever the case, it's bound to be a tough match," Kiyoshi answered.

As the team continued to walk, Ryuto stopped and turned back towards where the court is. _Cisco has a new power and the rest were holding back stronger techniques. What does that mean for us?_ he thought.

"Ryuto-kun! We're leaving!" Riko's voice called out.

"Coming!" Ryuto called back. _What is your angle, Coach Wells?_

 **AN: Finally uploaded this chapter! Sorry for taking so long, I had finals and other stuff in my personal life that needed to get done before this could be finished(Follow me on Twitter for more updates like those). I hope this lives up to what some of you were expecting from this first game. I greatly enjoyed writing this game as it was one of the one's I had planned out in my head since starting to write this story. On that topic, part of me wishes I could animate '** **cause** **there's some stuff that just makes this chapter seem cooler if I could animate.**

 **With that out of the way, I hope you enjoyed this chapter and stay tuned for the next one. Remember to follow, favorite, and/or review if you haven't already. And have a happy holidays and New Years.**

 **Remember, I do NOT own Flash or KnB. I only own my character and the plot.**


	8. Chapter 8

**AN: Here is the second game chapter. Sorry for making you wait so long, my personal life got in the way. In my opinion it'll probably be the weakest game chapter, but it's still a fun one nonetheless. I hope you enjoy it. Remember, I do NOT own KnB or Flash, I only own my character and the plot.**

Chapter 8

Towering Giants

Barry groaned as he felt the sunlight hit his eyes. He turned over in his bed to try and go back to sleep, but it was useless, he was already awake. He groaned and tossed the blanket aside. Sitting up, he let out a yawn. He rubbed his eyes as they adjusted to the dimly lit hotel room. Barry looked over to Cisco, who was still seemed fast asleep. He then looked towards Jay's bed and he was not there. Barry's eyebrows came together as he began to wonder where his cousin went. He looked at his phone, it almost noon, and their game was at six. He also noticed a text message, and it was from Jay. Barry opened it and read what he sent.

I woke up early. I went out to do some jogging around the block. I'll be back in about two hours.

Barry texted a short response and set his phone down. He then stood up and stretched. His body was still sore from match against Rakuzan. He had expected the game to be tough, but he did not expect to have to exert himself so much. He assumed that the others that played were still sleeping, as Cisco was. Barry looked again towards Cisco, he was the most exhausted out of the whole team after the game.

He really pushed himself, Barry thought as a smile came to his face.

Barry then walked over to his suitcase and grabbed some casual clothes. He put on a pair of jeans, a grey short sleeved shirt, with a red hoodie over it, and his usual Converse sneakers. He gave once last glance towards Cisco before exiting the room to get breakfast. As he closed the door to his room, Snart was also leaving his as well.

"Hey, Snart," Barry called out with a wave.

"Good morning," Snart replied.

"You going to grab breakfast?"

Snart nodded. "I woke up pretty famished. As soon as we got back from the game yesterday, I crashed and didn't eat dinner."

"Right. We should get going then." Barry replied nervously.

"What's wrong Fleet Feet?" Snart asked raising an eyebrow.

"Nothing. It's just we never hang out. You're always with Mick."

"Yeah, well, Mick probably isn't going to wake up any time soon. Not unless you get a fire under his ass."

Before Barry realized it, the two boys had made it to the elevator. Barry gave a nervous laugh as Snart pressed the call button. For some reason, he was intimidated being around Snart. Barry tugged at his collar trying to think of a way to break the silence between them.

"What are your opinions around our next opponent?" Snart asked breaking the silence for him.

Barry calmed himself before answering. "Well, they defiantly have the height advantage. So, Diggle and Ray will probably have the most court time. Perhaps Carter as well."

"Who knew Japanese people could grow to that height?" Snart asked rhetorically.

Barry gave a nervous laugh. Soon after the doors of the elevator opened and both teens walked towards the breakfast buffet. They were lucky that the hotel they were staying at had a very American atmosphere to it and the food they served for breakfast was things they were used to.

"Man, I'm so happy they serve pancakes and stuff like that," Barry said happily stacking pancakes

"Right," Snart said as he watched Barry continue to pile on food.

When both boys got enough food, they sat down and began to eat. It only took Barry less than ten minutes to eat his stack of pancakes, while Snart seemed to eat his food at a calmer and slower pace.

"How can you eat so slow?" Barry asked with a groan.

"How can you eat so fast and not feel sick?" Snart replied.

Barry let out a laugh. "That's fair."

Snart gave a snicker before turning back to his food. Barry was about to go get some more when he bumped into someone.

"Sorry," he said in Japanese, expecting that it was a Japanese person. Barry looked towards the person he bumped into and found his cousin, Jay, smiling at him.

"Still practicing your Japanese, huh? I'm sure you'll get better at it," Jay said with a laugh.

"Sorry, Jay," Barry said rubbing the back of his head.

"No worries. Come on, let's grab some food," Jay said. "Good morning, Snart."

Snart simply waved as he was still engrossed in his plate of food. Barry and Jay walked over to the buffet to get food. Jay grabbed a small portion, while Barry stacked more pancakes. Jay could see him gleefully doing it out of the corner of his eye and he laughed at the sight.

"You know, your breakfast diet can't just be pancakes," Jay said.

"Don't judge me," Barry replied.

Jay laughed again and turned back towards the table where Snart was sitting. Both boys sat down and started to eat. Barry, once again, finished his stack in less time than before. He then let out a satisfied groan and sat back. "Man, that hit the spot," Barry said.

Snart rolled his eyes, while Jay snickered. "So, how are you two after yesterday's game? You all seemed exhausted after it. I think all of you guys went to sleep without eating," Jay asked.

"They were tough, and I think things aren't going to get easier. Plus, I am still sore. But I should be good for tonight," Barry answered stretching his arms.

"The same goes for me," Snart said.

"Interesting. We're playing someone you know tonight, right Barry?" Jay asked.

Barry nodded. "Yep, Tatsuya. I didn't know him as well as Taiga or Ryuto, but I knew him enough to know how he plays."

Snart perked up at the mention of Tatsuya's name. He did not know him like Barry, but he did play against him and he remembered what he could do.

"Those fakes of his were really good in middle school. How are we going to stop those?" Snart asked crossing his arms.

Barry shrugged. "I don't know. We'll have to wait for the game to figure that out."

Jay nodded and turned back to his food.

At that same time, Ryuto was having lunch with his friends. Furihata, Fukuda, and Kawahara were talking about last nights game. Ryuto listened to how excited they felt, it made him smile.

"What about you Ryuto, what did you think of last night's game?" Furihata asked.

Ryuto was broken form his thoughts as Furihata addressed him. "Not sure. I feel like I was watching CCHS use about 80% of their strength," Ryuto responded.

"What makes you say that?" Kawahara asked.

Kuroko and Kagami also turned their attention to the grey-haired boy, curious about what he meant.

Ryuto let out a breath and crossed his arms. "What I mean is that, back in middle school we never went 100% in a game. After watching yesterday's game, I felt like I was watching my old team. However, Cisco did have to exert himself. I'm sure that during each game, one player will have to exert himself more than the others."

The five boys around him remained quiet for a moment, processing Ryuto's explanation. Kuroko was the first to speak up during the silence. "Will there be a team that forces them to give it their all?"

Ryuto shrugged. "Don't know. I thought it would be Rakuzan, but based on last night, I'm not sure anymore."

The five boys nodded in agreement. The bell then rang, signaling the end of the lunch period. The six first years said their goodbyes and walked to their classes. As Ryuto passed by the library, he got a look at the clock. It was only a few more hours until the game against Yosen. Ryuto let out a sigh and scratched the back of his head, wondering how CCHS would defeat Yosen and their absolute defense.

After another short practice, Ryuto walked towards the bus stop dribbling a ball as he did so. He envisioned the people in front of his as defenders wanting to stop him. He would do simple maneuvers to move away from them. The people he would pass by would look at him in confusion or laugh at the silliness of it. Ryuto paid them no mind as he was too focused. He blinked back to reality as he reached the bus stop, where the bus was waiting for him. He rested the ball on his hip with his hand holding it in place and got on the bus.

After the ride to his house, he walked in and announced his presence to his aunt and uncle. He took of his shoes and hung his jacket, before walking towards his room. As he entered his room, he set down his bag and sat on the bed letting out a sigh. He looked over to his phone, it was almost 6. He then got up again and walked to the bathroom for a quick shower.

I wonder what today will be like? He thought as the water soaked him.

Ryuto got out of the shower and tied a towel around his waist before exiting. He entered his room and shut the door behind him. He set his warm up clothes on the bed, gazing at them for a moment. He smiled and put it on, wearing it made him feel warm as if he belonged in it.

He turned back to his closet to grab his shoes, when a red and yellow shirt caught his eye. Ryuto looked up and shuffled clothes around to grab the shirt. He took it out and held it up to the light. It was his middle school jersey. The words Central City painted in yellow on the front with a small, yellow number four in the center. At the bottom of the shirt were two, small lightning bolts also in yellow. He turned the jersey around and a larger number 4 was on the back of it, also in yellow. His last name written on top of the number. He looked back towards the number. Number 4 was reserved for the captain; it always was. The longer he looked at it the less he felt that it belonged to him.

He glanced to his Seirin jersey, laying the bed, number 14 written on it in red. That jersey felt warm, but the one he was holding was cold and bleak. The longer he stared at it, he began to remember the promise he had made to Barry the day he left for Japan. Ryuto let out a sigh and let his arms fall to his sides. He glanced back to the jersey in his hand, giving it one last look before folding it and putting it back in his closet. When he finished changing, he grabbed his bag, placed it over his shoulder, and exited his room. He walked over to Satsuki's room and knocked, but there was no answer. He opened the door and noticed she was not there, she had likely already left for the game. He checked his phone again and noticed that he was going to be late. Ryuto cursed a loud and ran towards the front door. He called to his aunt and uncle as he closed the door behind him.

When he arrived at the arena, people were still entering it. Ryuto looked around trying to find his team, but all there was were crowds of people. As he continued to look, he felt his phone buzz. He took it out of his pocket and saw that Riko was calling him.

"Hey, Riko. I just arrived. Where are you guys?" Ryuto asked pivoting his head trying to find her.

"North side. We're sitting closer to the court this time and Shutoku is behind us," Riko directed.

"Thanks. See you in a bit," Ryuto said hanging up. Shutoku, huh.

Ryuto jogged towards the North side of area and found where his team was sitting and true to Riko's word, Shutoku was behind them. "Hey, guys!" Ryuto said with a wave.

Everyone turned back and greeted the grey-haired boy, even Shutoku said hello.

"Ryu-chan! I thought you weren't going to make it!" Takao called out.

"Sorry," Ryuto said placing a hand behind his head, "I lost track of time when I got home. And looks like I made it just in time. It's about to be tip off."

"Next time be more diligent," Midorima said adjusting his glasses.

"Come on, Tall, Dark, and Green, even you lose track of time," Ryuto joked.

A visible mark of anger appeared on Midorima's face at what Ryuto had called him, while Takao simply laughed. "You're lucky that today is a good day for a Cancer," Midorima grumbled as he gripped the day's lucky item; a small ball of yarn.

Ryuto rolled his eyes at the comment and sat down next to Kuroko. "Threading the needle, Ryuto-kun," Kuroko commented.

Ryuto laughed at the comment. "I guess so."

Then the sound of the referee's whistle was heard throughout the court and the game had begun. Ryuto looked down towards the court, prepared for another nail-biter of a game.

Barry had seen the videos of just how tall Yosen was; but standing next to the giant that was Murasakibara Atsushi was another experience all together. Barry was not short, he was average height, standing at 6 feet and 1 inch, the purple giant on the other hand towered over him at almost seven feet. Even Curtis, their tallest player, seemed to dwarf under him.

"Ehh, you guys are so short. I feel like I could crush you with my hand," Murasakibara said lazily.

Barry believed him, his hands were humungous. Barry was sure he could palm the ball with ease. Barry looked over to his teammates. The starting lineup for this game was different than the previous one. Coach Wells focused on height for this match and it was obvious why. Curtis was playing point guard, Ray was at center, Jay was at shooting guard, Diggle at power forward, and Barry at small forward.

Both teams prepared for the game to begin after introducing themselves and setting up the jump ball. Diggle was jumping against Murasakibara and Barry could tell Diggle was intimidated by the giant, even though he masked it well. Barry looked over to the rest of his teammates, Jay was focused and did not let his opponent's height distract him. Ray seemed nervous as the player he was guarding was towering over him. Curtis seemed to be the most nervous out of all of them. Likely due to it being his first game in Japan and he was still a freshman. Barry pushed those thoughts aside as the referee blew his whistle and tossed the ball in the air.

Barry knew Diggle was not going to be win the jump ball, but he was caught by surprise at just how little effort Murasakibara put into his jump. When Murasakibara swatted the ball down towards Fukui, the point guard, the referee blew his whistle. Barry gave a nervous look towards Murasakibara, who was being reprimanded by his teammates. Murasakibara had touched the ball before it reached it's highest point and it seemed to be a common occurrence based on the attitudes of his teammates.

"Man, he's that tall and his jump is ridiculous," Diggle commented.

Barry nodded in response. "This may be our hardest game yet."

The referee then gave the ball to Barry, he inbounded it to Curtis and the game resumed. Curtis dribbled the ball to the three-point line where he noticed that Yosen did not play man to man defense, they were in a 2-3 Zone.

"Guys, spread out!" Curtis called out. "Stay behind the three-point line."

The four players nodded and moved to the outside.

"Your point guard is perceptive, Barry," Tatsuya commented.

"He is. He's probably our smartest player," Barry added.

Tatsuya turned back towards Curtis, who tapped his head. Knowing the signal, Diggle moved forwards and screened Fukui allowing for Curtis to move away. Barry then sprinted towards Curtis, who held the ball out for a hand off. Barry caught the ball and drove towards the basket. However, he did not get far as he was stopped by Murasakibara and two other players.

It's almost like an impenetrable wall Barry thought.

Barry then crossed over and tried to use his speed to move away, but he was stopped again. In the moment, Tatsuya slapped the ball away from Barry and drove down the court. Barry cursed and sprinted to get ahead of Tatsuya. Tatsuya crossed over to his left and Barry followed, but he fell for a fake and Tatsuya continued his advance.

Damn, his fakes are so fluid I can't tell the difference Barry thought.

Ray managed to stop Tatsuya's advance and forced him into a shooting position. Ray jumped to block it, but to his confusion the ball seemed to pass through his hand and Tatsuya scored.

The crowd cheered at the quickness of it all and impressed by Yosen's defense as Rakuzan could not stop completely stop Barry's drive. Meanwhile, Ryuto still found Tatsuya's shot impossible.

"How does that shot work? It literally defies physics," Ryuto said crossing his arms and slumping in his seat.

"We know how it works. You just don't want to believe it," Kagami teased.

"Shut up, Taiga. Besides that, I'm surprised Barry couldn't break through with his speed," Ryuto said.

"I think it had to do with how it affects someone physiologically when they face Murasakibara," Midorima said adjusting his glasses.

"Perhaps you're right. All of them seemed spooked at just how tall Yosen is. Breaking through is going to be tough," Ryuto confirmed.

"Can't they just use Oliver and his threes to have them spread out?" Riko asked turing to Ryuto.

"Maybe, but remember, Murasakibara can cover everything inside the three-point line in a single step, so having Oliver shoot three's all day might be counterproductive. It happened with Hyuga during our game," Ryuto explained.

"He's right. They need a different way to break through the Shield of Aegis," Hyuga said.

Everyone turned their attention back towards the game and noticed that CCHS had yet to score.

Curtis dribbled the ball the three-point line. He knew that it was almost impossible to score and all of Barry's attacks had been stopped. Curtis looked towards the scoreboard, there were still six minutes left in the first quarter and they were down 14-0. Curtis cursed under his breath. He had to formulate a plan and score to get the team going.

"If you're not going to make a move," Fukui said as he slapped the ball away from Cutis, "then I'll just have to advance."

"Crap!" Curtis yelled out.

Fukui then grabbed the loose ball and threw it down the court to a waiting Tatsuya. When he caught the ball, Barry was there to defend him. However, Tatsuya out maneuvered him with a fake and scored a layup.

"I won't lose to some scared first year," Fukui said to Curtis with a scowl.

Curtis scratched the back of his head unsure of what he was just told.

"They can't understand you, Fukui-senpai," Tatsuya said.

Fukui got visibly dejected as he hung his head in embarrassment. "Then how am I supposed to trash talk them," he mumbled.

On the CCHS's bench, Coach Wells looked through their opponents stats. He knew their current offense was not going to defeat their defense. His head shot up when he remembered that they had one player who could stand up to Yosen's tower height. He looked towards Coach Stein, who nodded knowing what Coach Wells wanted to do. On an inbound, the referee blew his whistle signaling a timeout. Both teams walked towards their respective benches and sat down to catch their breaths.

"It's obvious our current plan isn't working," Wells said gaining everyone's attention, "so we're changing things up."

"Are we going to have Oliver sink threes to open up their defense?" Ray asked.

"I'll gladly do that," Oliver boasted.

"No. We knew from the footage that their purple giant can cover the entire inside of the three-point line with a single step, so Oliver shooting threes isn't an option," Wells explained.

"I can still sink them," Oliver mumbled as he crossed his arms.

Coach Wells ignored him and turned to the five players sitting down. "Barry, you're switching with Carter."

"Wait, hold on a minute Coach. Barry can beat them with his speed all we need to do is spread out their defense," Cisco argued.

Barry stood up and turned towards Cisco. "If Coach thinks this is the best course of action then I'll follow it." Barry then turned to Carter, who was stretching his arms. "I'm counting on you to get us back into this game."

Carter nodded in response and sat down with the four players. Coach Wells then kneeled in front of them and held out a clipboard. "Garrick, you'll be leading on offense, but Curtis you'll be calling the plays. You and Carter know what to do," Wells said.

The three boys nodded and stood up, ready to play.

In the stands, Ryuto leaned forward, confused as to why Barry was being substituted. "They're putting in Carter," he murmured.

"Do you know him, Ryuto-kun?" Kuroko asked.

"No, never met him. He was one of the new players. I don't know his skills," Ryuto answered. "What about you Taiga, do you know anything about him?"

Kagami shook his head. "Nothing. I don't even remember playing him in middle school."

"He's an unknown variable then," Midorima said adjusting his glasses.

Ryuto and Kagami nodded in response and turned back towards the game, curious as to what Carter could do.

On the court, Yosen was equally intrigued. They were quick to ask Tatsuya who he was, but he did not know as he never played him. Murasakibara seemed uninterested as he simply said he was going to crush him because of his short stature. The referee blew his whistle and the game resumed. Diggle inbounded the ball and Curtis dribbled down the court. He stopped his advance at the half court line and watched as Yosen's defense tightened. Curtis held up three fingers and the team knew what to do. Diggle and Ray cut towards the basket, while Jay moved towards the corner and Carter towards Curtis.

Curtis then began to dribble towards Jay, but he quickly cut back and gave a hand off to Carter. After the hand off, Curtis screened Tatsuya and Fukui was left to guard Carter. Carter dribbled to go right, but in one fluid movement, he cut towards the left.

"A fake?" Fukui said surprised.

As Carter drive towards the basket, Diggle and Ray moved from under the basket and back to the three-point line, causing Okamura, number 4, and Liu, number 11 to spread out the defense. Carter used the opening to attack the basket, but Murasakibara simply held out his arm to stop him. Carter spun around him in another fluid movement, which caused Murasakibara's eyes to go wide recognizing the play style as similar to Tatsuya's. Carter then jumped for a layup, but Murasakibara's shadow loomed over him ready to block. Carter tucked the ball in and put it in his left hand and tossed it from the side, a double clutch. The transition was so seamless that Murasakibara could not react in time to block it. The ball bounced off the corner of the square and into the hoop; CCHS just scored their first point.

On CCHS's bench, the whole team stood up and cheered for Carter's play. While as the team jogged to defense, Carter got a slap on the back from Diggle. "Great shot," he congratulated.

Carter nodded and gave a smug smile. "Naturally."

"I thought you were going to show that purple guy why you were called Hawkman?" Curtis asked.

"Not yet. I wanna keep that close to the chest," Carter answered.

The first quarter continued and CCHS was back in the game. After being down 14-0 at the six-minute mark, the score was now 20-16; Yosen still in the lead. It proved difficult to stop Yosen's height on offense and Murasakibara had yet to play offense. As Okamura scored another point for Yosen, Diggle wiped the sweat from his forehead and picked up the ball for the inbound.

"It's bad enough to take these guys on, but even without that giant it's hard to stop their offense," Diggle said as he jogged next to Curtis.

"Luckily we have Carter. His attacks are allowing for passes to get through as well as him scoring," Curtis replied.

"We should still be on our guard. That Purple Giant is still a threat," Jay added.

The two boys nodded and prepared for offense.

Curtis surveyed the defense. They were more spread out than before, they were prepared for jump shots and attacks. Plus, because of Murasakibara, everyone was cautious. Curtis knew they had likely adjusted to Carter's attack as Tatsuya was guarding him closer than before and Carter could not break off from him. Curtis turned towards the clock, there were two and half minutes left and the shot clock was getting close to zero. Curtis gulped, he had only one option.

Curtis tapped his head a few times, a signal for someone to screen the player in front of him. Jay nodded and moved for the screen. Curtis then began to dribbled towards Jay and Jay screened Fukui. Curtis used the opening to set up for a shot, causing Murasakibara to jump to block it. In that moment Curtis smiled. Murasakibara looked down towards him and noticed his smile, realizing it was a fake. Curtis then drove towards the basket, but was stopped by Liu. Curtis passed in the opening formed towards Diggle, who scored a solo layup.

"Yes!" Curtis called out as he pumped his fist.

As the five jogged back to offense, Diggle slapped Curtis on the back and congratulated him. "Nice pass."

Curtis gave a nervous laugh and readjusted his glasses.

"Great plan," Jay said as he jogged past him. "Now get ready for defense."

Curtis nodded and stood ready to defend.

On the bench, Coach Wells smiled. Pleased that things seemed to be going according to plan. He looked towards Murasakibara who still seemed uninterested in offense. He began to rub his chin, pensive about how to overcome the Purple Giant, as was dubbed by his players.

His greatest asset is not his height, but his legs and the length of his arms. That's the reason why jump shots won't work with his defending, Wells thought.

He then glanced towards Oliver. The blonde had an uninterested look on his face, but Wells could tell he wanted to be playing rather than sitting down with the way his hand twitched. Wells smiled, despite his protests Oliver loved basketball.

I want to play him, but I want to save his threes for a battle against Shutoku, Wells thought.

He turned back to the court and saw Carter score another point. He looked towards the scoreboard and saw that they were still behind by four, with less than a minute to play. Wells knew that to win they had to defeat their defense and they were yet to fully dismantle it.

The final minute on the clock expired and the first quarter was over. CCHS was down by four, with the score being 24-20. The teams sat on their respective benches to catch their breaths and prepare for the next quarter. Up in the stands, Seirin and Shutoku were both making remarks about the closing minute of the quarter.

"Man, that Carter guy sure is similar to Tatsuya," Kagami said running a hand through his hair.

"Indeed, his ball control is excellent and his movements are so fluid, it's difficult to discern fakes from an actual attack," Midorima added.

"Their point guard is pretty good too. Though the shorter one seemed better," Takao said crossing his arms.

"He seems pretty tall, is he a senior?" Riko asked.

"Nope, he's a first year." Ryuto answered.

"No way," Riko said.

"He is, Barry told us when he introduced us to him," Kagami added.

"Whatever the case may be, his skills are built for a point guard. He is able to make accurate decisions at a moment's notice, something all point guards need," Midorima said pushing up his glasses.

Kagami scoffed at Midorima's comment. "What would you know about being a point guard?"

Midorima turned towards Kagami with a scowl on his face. "One must be knowledgeable about the other positions to accurately counter them. That's true for almost everything."

"Midorima has a point, Taiga," Ryuto said.

"You're siding with him!" Kagami said angrily.

Takao let out a chuckle and Ryuto smiled towards his friend. "By the way, Tao, I was wondering what you thought of Cisco yesterday?"

Takao stopped laughing in that instant and his face became serious. Everyone around him seemed surprised at Takao's sudden change in demeanor. "He's better than me, maybe better than Akashi. The ability to react that quickly to anything is incredibly strong. I know, for a fact, when we play them I'll lose to him."

Everyone waited silently for Takao to finish his statement with a joke, but nothing came. Even Midorima seemed unsettled that the point guard had yet to add a joke. Ryuto looked towards his friend and all he could see was his cold, blank stare towards the court. Ryuto followed his gaze and saw it landed on Cisco.

It makes sense he'd feel inferior. The same thing happened against Seijūrō, Ryuto thought.

Ryuto was about to open his mouth to say something but was cut off by the sound of the buzzer. Ryuto gave once last glance to Takao, who's expression had yet to soften. Ryuto gave him worried look as he turned back towards the court ready to watch the second quarter. Meanwhile, Kuroko stared at his grey-haired friend with the same worried look that he had given Takao.

"It's going to be fine, Kuroko. Tao'll bounce back," Ryuto said as if reading his thoughts.

Kuroko nodded and turned towards the court.

As both teams set up for the next quarter with the same players as before. As the teams walked onto the court, Carter looked towards Murasakibara. He noticed his lazy demeanor and the way he walked onto the court screamed that he would rather be somewhere else. Those kinds of people, those who would not give their all in a fight, were who Carter disliked the most. He tightened the grip of his fist and prepared to play, wanting Murasakibara to get serious. The buzzer sounded, and both teams were ready to play.

Yosen started out with the ball, as Fukui dribbled towards the three-point line and stopped there. He gave a look towards the defense, CCHS seemed to have not changed their strategy; playing man-to-man. Fukui then picked up the speed of his dribbled and tried to charge to the right, but Curtis shuffled right and quickly stopped his advance. Fukui grunted and spun on his heel to go left, but as he moved to drive Carter slapped the ball away.

"What the?" Fukui called out.

Carter smirked and picked up the loose ball driving towards the basket.

"Atsushi!" Tatsuya called out.

"Yeah, yeah," Murasakibara said lazily getting into position to defend.

As Carter neared the three-point line, everyone's eyes widened at he jumped from it. Murasakibara looked stunned for a moment before jumping to block Carter. As Carter neared the basket, Murasakibara's hand stopped the ball as well as Carter's momentum. Murasakibara easily slapped the away from Carter and he fell towards the floor. Tatsuya picked up the loose ball and dribbled down the court. Carter groaned as he stood up, he could feel Murasakibara's looming shadow over him. Carter looked up to stare him in the eye. The two boys locked gazes for a moment before Carter turned away, ready to head for defense.

"I will dunk on you," Carter muttered.

Murasakibara rose an eyebrow, unsure at what Carter had said, but to him it sounded like a threat. As the quarter continued, CCHS was having difficulties breaking through Yosen's defense. Murasakibara loomed large over them waiting to block anything. As Curtis brought the ball down, he glanced towards the score board and saw there were five minutes left and they had yet to take the lead; 36-32. He quickly wiped the sweat off his forehead and pressed on to attack.

In the stands, Seirin and Shutoku would analyze each move CCHS would make and how they could not defeat Yosen's defense. Midorima attributed it to not being able to to contend with their height difference.

"That is a factor, but the way Carter tried to shoot, almost reminds me of Taiga's Meteor Jam. The difference is that he make it to the rim," Ryuto explained.

"What? That's impossible! I have to be in the Zone to use Meteor Jam and throw still have to throw the ball into the basket to score. While that guy can jump from the three point line and make it to the rim in one jump! You can't be serious," Kagami argued angrily.

"I have to agree with Kagami-kun. It does seem unlikely," Kuroko said.

Ryuto let out a sigh before responding. "I get that, but you guys saw that jump. It does seem like he can do it. Midorima, back me up here."

Midorima let out a grunt. "I don't have an opinion on that. However, they're definitely going to use him to fully defeat Yosen's defense."

"He does have incredible leg strength," Riko said.

Seirin turned towards their coach, she had the ability to read a person's stats just by looking at them. It was obvious to them that she had been watching Carter closely.

"His stamina also seems better than most on their team. They're point guard for example, he'll have to rest during the second half. The same goes for their center," Riko said.

Ryuto placed his hand under shit chin, in a pensive state, wondering what that could mean for CCHS. "Ray and Curtis will have to sit out. Who would replace them?"

Both teams turned their attention back towards the court and watched both teams walk towards their benches; CCHS had called a timeout. CCHS sat down on the bench, all the layers were panting heavily as the rush to try to score was causing them to tire out. Coach Wells looked over each player and knew some had to be swapped out. Curtis had played more during this game than in the season and fatigue was getting to him. Meanwhile, Ray was having trouble defending Liu and he was getting tired out as well. He looked over the stats for the half and noticed the downward trend that the two players were going through, it was only a matter of time before they could no longer play. He let out a sigh and turned towards the five players.

"Ray, Curtis you two-"

"Before you say anything Coach, I can still go. I'll push myself to the limit," Cutis said cutting Wells off.

"The same goes for me. Let us finish the half, please," Ray said in between breaths.

Wells looked at the tow boys, the freshman and the junior, each with determination radiating. He gave a small chuckle and turned towards the two boys. "Alright then, leave it all on the court."

The two boys nodded and soon after the buzzer rang. The five players walked onto the court ready to play the final three minutes. Oliver stared at Curtis for a moment, wondering where his determination came from.

"I don't why he's acting so tough? He's still a scared freshman," Oliver murmured crossing his arms.

"But he's determined to win," Felicity said next to him.

Oliver rolled his eyes and turned towards the court.

The ball was given to CCHS for the inbound and the game resumed. Curtis dribbled down the court and surveyed the defense. Yosen had yet to stop defending in their 2-3 zone formation, but it was working for them. CCHS had been behind in points since the game started and even though they were scoring they had yet to break their defense. Curtis held up his fist calling out a play and the ball was passed around until it found its way to Jay. Using the small opening created, Jay attacked the basket. However, Okamura stood ready to defend. Jay then stopped his advance and jumped back. He released the ball, shooting a fadeaway, and scored closing the point gap to two.

"Yes," Jay muttered as he jogged for defense.

Barry gave a quick look towards his cousin and smiled. He knew Jay loved basketball and whenever he scored, it showed.

On Yosen's offensive possession, they were unable to score as Jay managed to swipe the ball away from Fukui after Curtis stopped his advance. Jay then threw the ball down the court, where Carter caught it. He ran down ready to score on Murasakibara. Meanwhile, Murasakibara yawned and prepared for defense.

"I will score on you!" Carter yelled out as he jumped from the three-point line.

Murasakibara jumped too, ready to block it. However, to his surprise, he was falling back to the ground first.

How? How can this happen again? I jumped second and I'm falling first Murasakibara thought.

Carter then jammed the ball into the basket scoring a dunk and tying the game. The crowd cheered towards Carter's display, amazed that he dunked by jumping from the three-point line. As Carter let go of the rim, he turned to face Murasakibara. His long hair covered his expression, so Carter could not get a read on his emotions. He simply ignored the Purple Giant and jogged to defense.

As Yosen prepared for offense, the whole court began to shake. Everyone looked up and saw Murasakibara's giant form looming over everyone, his eyes expressed pure rage.

"I hate players like you, who have this burning drive for such a stupid sport. I'll crush you. I'll crush all of you!" Murasakibara said enraged.

The players from CCHS did not understand very well what he said, but they way his eyes expressed rage it was obvious what he meant.

In the stands, Shutoku and Seirin watched with their eyes wide. Carter had provoked Murasakibara and now it would be even harder to defeat Yosen.

"Murasakibara had barely done anything and yet he was still defeated," Kiyoshi said in amazement.

"That dunk was something else," Izuki added.

"To jump from the three point line takes incredible jumping strength. Not many in the NBA can do that," Riko explained.

Midorima let out a grunt and adjusted his glasses. "With only a minute left, how will the Americans break through now? With Murasakibara on offense it will be nearly impossible."

Both teams turned back towards the game and saw that Murasakubara had scored a dunk using his Thor's Hammer, a two handed dunk that blows people away, literally, with his strength. Murasakibara gave the two down players, Diggle and Ray, a look before turing away and jogging towards defense, along with the rest of Yosen. Jay and Curtis held out their hands and each helped one of the boys stand.

"Man, that guy's strong," Diggle said grabbing onto his shoulder.

"He blew us away like we were paper," Ray added.

Jay nodded. "Things are going to get a whole lot harder in the second half. Let's end this one with a point."

"Right!" the four other boys said in unison.

Curtis dribbled down the court at a slow pace, wanting to use up as much time as possible. They were still behind, but if they could score a three they could take the lead by one. To him it seemed impossible, but Curtis had to trust his teammates. Curtis took a deep breath and called out another play. He passed the ball towards Ray, then cut towards the basket. Ray then passed to Diggle, who had moved to replace Curtis. Ray then cut towards the basket and Diggle moved to pass, but Fukui moved to stop it. However, it was a fake and Diggle passed the ball to Jay, who was behind him. Jay set up for a three, but Murasakibara jumped up to block it. Jay smirked and sent a pass towards Carter, who scored a solo lay up tying up the score at 42-42. As Yosen was about to inbound, the buzzer rang and the quarter was over, along with the half. Both teams walked towards their benches and walked off the court towards their locker rooms.

In CCHS's locker room, all the players were having side conversations about the game while Coach Wells and Coach Stein went over game notes. When the two coaches finished, Coach Wells cleared his throat garnering the attention of everyone.

"Today you are performing exceptionally better than yesterday. The outcome for this half is to be expected. This team specializes on defense and it was easy to see. We managed to get some points in, but not break down their defense. Now that the Purple Giant is going to be playing on both offense and defense things will get a lot harder," Wells said.

The team remained silent waiting for Coach Wells to continue to speak, but to their surprise Coach Stein was the one who spoke.

"For that reason, we've decided to switch out two players. Mr. Holt and Mr. Palmer, great work during the first half now get some rest."

Both of the player thanked their coach and where they sat, and stretched out their legs. They had reached their limit and it was noticeable.

"In their place, Mr. Rory and Mr. Ramon will take the court. Continue to play hard during this half too," Stein said.

"Yeah!" the team said in unison.

Meanwhile in the stands, Seirin and Shutoku were giving their opinions about the first half. Most of Seirin agreed that it would be likely that Yosen would take the lead at the start of second half. Shutoku agreed with the assumption, even Midorima could not figure out a way fro CCHS to take advantage.

Ryuto, meanwhile, remained pensive. It was a given that Yosen would have the advantage going into the second half, but to him it felt like CCHS had a plan to defeat Yosen with Murasakibara on offense. He sat back in his seat and let his thoughts consume him. Kagami noticed this and shook his friend back to reality. Ryuto blinked a few times before focusing on the red head.

"What's up?" he asked.

"Do you think Coach Wells has a plan?" Kagami asked.

Ryuto nodded, but it was not a convincing one. "I don't know. It was always hard to tell what he was thinking."

As the buzzer sounded, both teams turned back towards the court to see Yosen and CCHS walk back onto the court. Ryuto looked towards CCHS's bench and saw Mick sitting with four other players. He looked at him surprised, he was not expecting Mick to play. "Although it does makes sense," he murmured.

"What makes sense?" Kuroko asked next to him.

Ryuto turned to blue haired boy. "Mick's going in."

"Wait, seriously?!" Kagami asked surprised, looking towards CCHS's bench. "Holy crap, you're right."

"What's so special about him?" Takao asked breaking his silence from earlier.

"His play style is super aggressive. He can somehow count any foul that would normally be on him, on the opponent," Ryuto explained. Everyone turned to him with confused expressions. They seemed unable to understand what Ryuto had said.

"You're serious?" Otsubo, captain of Shutoku, asked.

Ryuto nodded. "It's hard to explain. You have to be watching to better understand. Or, play against him."

The referee blew his whistle and both teams walked onto the court. Murasakibara glared at Carter, which he returned. Tatsuya then forcefully turned Murasakibara away from him and walked towards the other players.

The five CCHS players made a circle and pumped each other up for the next half. After separating, Mick turned towards Carter to ask about Murasakibara. "So that's the Purple Giant I've been hearing about."

Carter raised an eyebrow at the comment. "Haven't you been paying any attention during the first half?"

Mick cracked his knuckles and a half smile appeared on his face. "Nope. I just want to crack some heads."

"Not literally, right?" Carter asked fearfully.

"Sure," Mick answered bluntly.

"Oh, boy," Carter murmured.

The half commenced with CCHS's inbound. Cisco dribbled down the court, he kept a slow pace to get a better analysis of Yosen's defense. With a quick look he could see why Barry had a hard time attacking the basket, Yosen's three tallest players were a literal wall. They had managed to score thanks to Carter's fluid movements and fakes. However, now that Mick was in the game it would be easier to score in the paint.

Cisco sent a pass towards Mick, who caught the ball with one hand. He gave a quick glance at the ball and tightened his grip on it. To those around him it seemed like he was going to crush the ball in his hand. He began to dribble the ball and he would dribble with such force, the ground felt like it was shaking. Tatsuya got into a triple threat position ready to defend but was not expecting for Mick's charge towards the basket. The two boys collided and, in the instant before the referee blew his whistle, Mick threw the ball at the basket, scoring off the back board.

"Defensive foul. White, number 12. Basket counts one throw."

Tatsuya was helped up by Fukui and was about to argue with the referee when Fukui stopped him. Tatsuya looked back towards his senior, his face expressed pure rage.

"It was obvious that he fouled me!" Tatsuya said.

"Don't fight the call. We all know where that leads," Fukui replied.

Tatsuya growled, but after releasing a breath he calmed down. He turned towards Mick, who seemed indifferent towards the event.

"You still haven't changed, Mick," Tatsuya said with a glare.

"Right, you're Pretty Boy. Did I knock you down too hard?" Mick asked with a hint of mockery.

Tatsuya tightened the grip of his fist, he had never liked Mick or his attitude. "We both know you caused the foul."

Mick scratched his head mimicking confusion. "Last time I checked you stepped into my drive."

Mick turned away from Tatsuya could respond and prepared to shoot free throws. Four Yosen players set up for the free throws, while none from CCHS did. Mick released the ball and quickly turned away from it. Yosen watched in confusion at Mick's decision, but quickly turned towards the ball, which had bounced off the rim. Okamura caught the ball and passed it to Fukui.

"What was up with that?" Okamura asked.

Fukui shrugged. "Don't know. Himuro, do you know anything?"

Tatsuya gave a short nod. "Sort of, he has a bad free throw percentage, but they never set up for it. I never fully understood why."

Yosen nodded in response and prepared for offense.

As the third quarter continued, Murasakibara was the focal point for Yosen's offense. His dunks would blow people back with the force of his jump and the power of jamming the ball into the hoop. CCHS panted at the inbound, Cisco looked towards the scoreboard there was five minutes left in the third quarter and they were still behind in points; 58-54. No matter how much they scored, they could not stop their defensive or offensive strength.

"We have to blow past the Purple Giant," Carter said.

"I know that, but when you scored that dunk on him it only made him angrier," Cisco argued.

"Let me handle it," Mick said gruffly.

Both boys turned towards him with surprised looks on their faces.

"You're serious?" Cisco asked.

Mick shrugged and cracked his knuckles. "I've wanted a shot at the big guy for a while now."

"Right," Cisco said.

As the game resumed it seemed almost impossible for Yosen to be toppled. In the stands, Ryuto bit his lower lip worriedly. He never expected for his old teammates to have so much trouble against Yosen. He expected some kind of plan to dismantle their defense, but it seemed they did not have one.

Back on the court, Cisco passed the ball to Mick; which he caught with one hand. Tatsuya stood in front of him to defend him, but he knew he stood no chance against Mick's strength. Mick then started to dribble the ball and Tatsuya readied himself for an attack. Mick then charged forwards and completely avoided hitting Tatsuya. He turned back to see Murasakibara move to defend Mick's drive.

"Atsushi!" Tatsuya called out.

"I know, I know," Murasakibara said lazily.

As Mick got closer to Murasakibara, he picked up speed. He then came to a full stop and leaped forwards, colliding with Murasakibara. He then stretched his arm up and dunked over the Purple Giant. The referee blew his whistle counting the dunk and giving me free throws.

Mick landed and gave a quick glance towards Murasakibara. He was expecting the same overwhelming strength and rage he was showing before, but it seemed to have left him. "This is boring," he muttered as he walked towards the free throw line.

As Murasakibara stood up, Tatsuya came to his side to check if he was not hurt.

"I'm fine Muro-chin," Murasakibara said. "He's strong, but I still feel like I could crush him."

"Then do it. Before he does it to you," Tatsuya said.

Murasakibara nodded in response and set up for the free throw. Mick missed his free throw again, and Yosen still found it surprising that no one from CCHS would try to get the rebound. The quarter continued and Murasakibara continued to dominate uncontested. Meanwhile, Mick was having almost every player foul him and every time he would score and miss a free throw. Yosen could still not figure out why fouls that were supposed to be on Mick were being counted on them. Tatsuya tried his best to explain, but he could not give a proper explanation as why it was happening.

In the stands, both Ryuto and Kagami were trying to give their explanation as to why it worked that why.

"The best I could say is that from Mick's position when he collides with an opponent makes it seem like it wasn't him who initiated the hit," Ryuto explained.

"You played with him, shouldn't you know how his abilities work?" Koga asked.

"To be honest, his I never understood. For that matter, I never understood Ronnie's abilites either," Ryuto said with his final words lowering to a murmur.

The buzzer rang for the third quarter to end and the score was tied, 66-66. The five players that were on the court sat down to catch their breaths. The game had been slower compared to the one against Rakuzan, but it was taking a toll on them. Jay, who had been playing the whole game, thus far, was starting to get fatigued and it was noticeable. He down an entire bottle of water in a mere moment and the amount of sweat that was coming off his body could fill a small pool. Coach Wells noticed this and knew he had to sit him out.

"Garrick, I'm-"

"I can keep going. Let me finish this game," Jay said cutting off the coach.

Barry looked towards his cousin. His expression was clearly that of determination. He respected that from his cousin, he would never give up even if he had to push himself harder than before; it was something he lacked.

"I understand, but I'm looking out for your health. I don't want you getting injured," Coach Wells explained.

Jay shook his head. "I don't care. I want to win and to do that we have to break through their defense. I can do that."

"Now hold on there, Fleet Feet Sr, I thought that was my job," Mick said raising an eyebrow.

"We can both do it," Jay replied. "Please Coach let me finish the game."

Coach Wells pondered the question. He could see that his player was determined to win and he respected that. Wells then gave a conceded sigh and looked towards Jay. "I'll let you continue, but if I see you slowing down I will pull you out. Understand?"

Jay nodded enthusiastically. "Yes, sir."

The buzzer sounded, and it was time for the final quarter to begin. In the stands, Shutoku and Seirin prepared to find out if Yosen would be the first team to defeat the Americans or be defeated like Rakuzan the day before.

"If the Americans don't break through Yosen's defense they stand no chance at winning," Midorima said adjusting his glasses.

Ryuto nodded. "It's the only option they have."

"They don't have anyone that can surprise them with an attack to throw them off balance, so it'll be difficult to do that," Kagami added.

"So what can they do if they can't beat Yosen's defense?" Miyagi, Shutoku's small forward, asked.

"Beat Yosen on offense," Ryuto said with a serious tone.

Both teams turned back to the court and watched as Murasakibara dunked over Mick and Jay. Ryuto winced slightly, when Seirin played against Yosen he was on the bench most of the match. He had never experienced Murasakibara's sheer offensive strength. Watching it still felt the same as it did during the Winter Cup.

The fourth quarter proved to be a decisive moment for CCHS. Mick continued his reckless attacks and drawing fouls, while Jay managed to use Yosen's tighter defense to get more jump shots in. The unintentional cooperation between the two proved to be what CCHS needed to slowly break Yosen's defense.

"Damn, with that one guy just charging in, it's allowing for that other guy to shoot practically unguarded," Fukui said wiping sweat from his forehead.

"Jay's about to give in to fatigue. If we can stop his jump shots, they will start to crumble," Tatsuya said. "Atsushi, stop worrying about Mick's attacks. Let him shoot, we'll stop the jump shots from here on out."

The four Yosen players nodded and prepared for offense. As both teams traded offensive blows, the score continue to pile up. Defense seemed to be an afterthought in favor of scoring as many baskets as possible. With the clock reaching the three-minute mark, CCHS had taken its first lead in the whole game; 78-76. Coach Wells took a timeout, so the team could catch their breaths and plan in order to keep their lead, no matter how small it was.

"You boys are doing great, staying in the game despite their strength. Now, we have to keep this lead. We'll set up a double team on the Purple Giant, Carter and Diggle that'll be your job. For Tatsuya, Cisco I want you defending him. Garrick and Mick, I want you two hovering around assisting whoever needs it," Wells said.

The five players nodded and prepared to finish out the game and get the win. However, as Jay stood up he felt a sharp pain in his leg. He winced at it, but as quickly as it arrived it was gone. Barry noticed his cousins expression and immediately got worried.

"You all right, Jay?" Barry asked nervously.

Jay gave him a smile, the smile he would give that meant he was okay, but in reality, something was bothering him. "I'm fine. I just want to finish this game with our victory."

Barry gave a worried nod. "Don't overwork yourself."

Jay placed his hand on his cousin's head and ruffled his hair. "I won't. Trust me."

Barry nodded again and watched his cousin walked onto the court. As he set up for offense the sharp pain in his leg returned and it was taking longer to go away.

I can't let this stop me. I have to finish this game. Only three more minutes, Jay thought.

The referee blew his whistle and the game resumed.

In the stands, Riko let out a sharp gasp, which gained the attention from everyone around her.

"What's wrong, Riko?" Hyuga asked.

Ryuto looked towards his girlfriend and followed her gaze, which landed on Jay. Ryuto rose an eyebrow at the sight, wonder what she had seen from him. "Does it have to do with Jay?"

Riko turned towards him and nodded. "If he keeps playing at the level he is, his right let will get seriously injured. His strength in his legs have rapidly deteriorated since the end of the third quarter and his right leg in particular is not looking good."

Ryuto looked towards Jay, who had stopped Okamura's lay up by blocking the shot. He watched him land and saw him wince in pain for a moment before jogging towards offense. "You're right. What is that idiot thinking?"

"The coach should see that he's injured right?" Takao asked with a concerned tone.

"Maybe he's doing a good job of hiding it," Furihata said.

"We can't be sure. From up here, we can't do anything. We just have to watch," Ryuto said.

Everyone nodded and turned their attention back to the game. Tatsuya was given the ball and Cisco stood ready to defend hm.

"You guys may be ahead, but we will close the gap," Tatsuya said.

He then attacked to the left and Cisco moved to defend, but it was a fake and Tatsuya went right instead.

"Crap. Stop him, Dig!" Cisco called out.

Diggle moved to defend him, and Tatsuya came to a stop and set up for a jump shot. Diggle jumped to block, but the ball seemed to go through his hand. Diggle's eyes widened in surprise and when he landed, he heard the swish of the net.

Coach Wells watched the shot closely and was able to determine how it worked.

"He releases twice. The first release he shoots the ball straight up, the second his after he catches it again. Normally, that would be illegal, touching the ball twice after it's been released, but since Tatsuya has such fluid movement it does not appear to be so," Wells explained.

"Can't you just jump on the second release?" Ronnie asked.

"You could, but it would be a useless effort and he would simply adjust and shoot normally. In a way, that shot is invincible," Wells answered taking off his glasses.

"But Taiga stopped it," Barry said.

"He did, but that was because he was in the Zone and he has the jumping ability to do so," Wells explained putting his glasses on. "We don't have anyone like that to stop him."

The players on the bench turned back to the court to see Jay get blocked by Liu. Fukui recovered the ball and threw it down the court to Tatsuya. Cisco moved in front of him to defend and Tatsuya moved to pass the ball. Cisco adjusted his defense to cut off the pass, but it was a fake and he attacked the basket. Diggle moved to stop him, but Tatsuya simply spun around him and avoided him. Tatsuya then passed to Murasakibara, who dunked the ball with ease. With a minute remaining, the score was tied at 86. CCHS took a moment to catch their breaths before the inbound. They had to score and stop Yosen from scoring to secure the win, but because of Tatsuya and Murasakibara it seemed impossible.

Cisco called for the inbound and dribbled the ball down the court. He could see everyone was reaching their limits, while Yosen were tired they seemed to still have the energy to keep playing.

They're more spread out than before, they want to stop the jump shot. However, they're open for a drive down the middle. But they can't risk fouling Mick Cisco thought.

Cisco was about to send the ball towards Mick, but his vision changed and he saw Tatsuya stealing the ball. When his vision returned to normal, he pushed the ball to the floor and crossed over to get away from Fukui. He attacked the area that was left open from Tatsuya's steal, but was met by Okamura. Out of the corner of his eye, Cisco saw Jay open and sent a pass towards him. Jay caught it and squared up to the basket determined to shoot. However, Murasakibara loomed over him ready to block. Jay brought the ball to his side and was prepared to drive towards the basket, but the pain in his leg returned and he felt himself unable to move. Jay looked up to see Diggle calling out for a pass under the basket and he sent a bounce pass towards him. Diggle caught the ball and scored a hook shot against Okamura.

"All right!" Diggle yelled out.

The crowd cheered at the shot, amazed that Diggle had gotten one on Okamura. While Okamura murmured a curse, Diggle was congratulated from his teammates. Jay, meanwhile, gripped his right leg as the pain had yet to subside. He then forced himself to move through the pain and slowly jogged towards defense.

I can't let this stop me. I have to finish this game, Jay thought.

The clock continued to wind down and both teams were slowing down. There was 25 seconds left and Yosen was passing the ball around trying to run out the clock. CCHS was ahead by two and Yosen knew that. They were waiting for the final second of the shot clock in order to score a three. CCHS knew that was their plan, but they did not make any advances in order to not give away points. The shot clock was at five seconds while in the game there was 15, it was now or never for Yosen. Fukui caught the ball and moved to pass towards Murasakibara, but faked and sent a pass towards Tatsuya. Jay watched as the ball sailed through the air. If he wanted to cut it off he had to move, but his legs did not want to; he could not even force himself to move.

I have to stop this pass. I can't let them score, Jay thought getting frustrated.

In a burst of movement, Jay moved and cut off the pass. Tatsuya stared at him, his single visible eye widening in surprise. The other Yosen players were caught by surprise too and seemed unable to move. Jay tired to must up the strength to throw the ball down the court, but he could only lob it to Cisco. Cisco then threw the ball down the court to Carter, who caught it and was ready to score. Carter then felt a looming presence behind him and he could see Murasakibara gaining on him. Carter continued his attack and jumped. Then, Murasakibara's giant hand loomed over Carter, but he was only able to get a finger swipe on the ball as Carter released. As he let go, the buzzer sounded and the ball spun around the rim several times until it stopped and entered the hoop. The referee blew his whistle and the basket was counted. CCHS had claimed its second victory.

The players on the court cheered and huddled together minus Mick, who did not want to, and Jay, who had fallen to the floor as his legs had given out. After the short celebration, Cisco walked over to Jay and helped him stand. Placing one arm over Cisco's shoulder, Jay walked alongside him.

"Great job. Though, don't push yourself when you're injured," Cisco said in a serious tone.

"I know. I just wanted to win and I had to push myself," Jay replied.

"What's the point if you can't even play?" Cisco asked.

Jay remained silent and turned his head away from Cisco.

The five players on the court lined up and bowed to each other, while thanking each other for the game. The crowd clapped for both teams, congratulating them on hard fought match. Both teams gathered their stuff from their benches and walked off the court and soon after the crowd began to leave as well.

Shutoku and Seirin said their goodbyes and went their separate ways. Seirin gathered at the North exit and commented on the game.

"I think that was the closest game yet," Koga said. "I got real nervous right at the end."

Kiyoshi nodded. "Even though they only partially defeated Yosen's defense, the Americans were still able to outscore them."

Hyuga let out a sigh. "Man, these Americans are ridiculous."

While the team made comments amongst themselves, Ryuto stared towards the direction of the court. He was still wondering what Coach Wells's endgame was with all these exhibition matches.

"They play Kaijo and Kise-kun next, right Ryuto-kun?" a monotone voice said breaking Ryuto away from his thoughts.

He turned towards Kuroko, who was standing next to him holing his dog, #2. Ryuto let out a small laugh and pet the black and white puppy.

"Yeah, they do. They'll be up against all of the Generation of Miracles at once. I wonder if they can beat that," Ryuto answered.

"I'm sure they will find a way," Kagami's voice called out. "No doubt it'll be another tough one for them."

Ryuto and Kuroko nodded and turned away from the direction of the court, deciding to stop thinking about the next game so much.

 **AN: And with that game two comes to a close. I hope you enjoyed this game as much as the Rakuzan one. To be honest, this was one of the games I didn't have planned out from the beginning compared to the Rakuzan game. Also, for me, Yosen is one of the least interesting teams of KnB. Murasakibara and Himuro are the only two characters that make that team stand out, while the other three aren't that important, but that's just me.**

 **It has been brought to my attention that due to having so many characters, I'm forcing certain characters to just have things to say and do. While that is indeed true, especially in this games case, moving forward I'll try to focus in on the more important characters. I tend to forget my readers may come from one fandom and not necessarily know the other, so I'll try to focus more on the important characters to have them grow more and have others understand their motivations for playing.**

 **With that done, I hope you enjoyed this chapter and stay tuned for the next one. It'll probably be a filler chapter so I don't have six game chapters back to back, so expect a lot less action in the next one and just people reacting to the first two games. Remember to follow, favorite, and/or follow if you haven't already.**


	9. Chapter 9

**AN: Finally got this chapter done! Sorry it took so long. I'll explain why at the end. I hope you enjoy this one!**

Chapter 9

Intermission

Ryuto awoke Wednesday morning to the sound of his alarm going off. He never needed one, but as of late he was going to sleep later than usual, which caused him to sleep more; he once overslept and narrowly missed getting to school late. He let out a sigh and pressed the mute button on his phone. He pushed away the blanket covering him and sat up. He let out a yawn and stretched his arms into the air. He let out another yawn and stood up from his bed. He exited his room and walked, half-asleep, towards the kitchen. When he got there, his uncle and Satsuki were there as well. His uncle was cooking something, while Satsuki was looking at her phone while drinking coffee, Ryuto assumed it was coffee as it was in a mug.

"Ah, Ryuto, you're up. Coffee?" his uncle offered.

Ryuto held up his hand. "You know I hate coffee, Uncle."

His uncle let out a laugh. "I know, but seeing the face you give whenever out get offered coffee is funny."

Ryuto rolled his eyes in annoyance, but could not help letting out a chuckle as well. He turned back towards Satsuki and saw she was still looking at her phone. He glanced at the screen and saw she was reading an article about the two games that were played recently.

"Anything interesting?" Ryuto asked standing next to his cousin.

She shook her head. "Not really. All the articles say the same thing." She turned off her phone and set it aside, taking a sip from her coffee.

"I see," Ryuto said.

"What about you? Anything interesting you saw during the games?" Satsuki asked setting down her mug.

Ryuto leaned against the wall and placed his hands in his pocket, musing the question. Certain instances of the two games flashed in his mind, almost all of them were big moments during the games.

"They've both ended with close scores. Seeing everyone I know playing again, I don't know, it feels different watching from the stands," Ryuto answered, adding a shrug.

"Do you miss playing with them?" Satsuki asked.

Ryuto opened his mouth to respond, but he could not find the words. He wanted to say yes, but something was stopping him. He gripped the right side of his shirt, still unsure of what to answer.

"I don't know," he managed to say, letting his arm fall to his side.

"Huh?"

Ryuto sighed, he never had trouble putting his feelings into words, but since his old teammates had arrived it was hard for him. Ever since they had arrived, he noticed they were different than before he had left. He knew it was not uncommon for people to change, but seeing his old teammates again after a year and a half and seeing how much they changed made him feel as if he was left behind.

In his mind an image of his CCHS teammates appeared and he felt himself trying to reach them. With an out stretched hand, he ran towards them but they would just get farther away. He could barely make out the features of one of the players who turned towards him, but Ryuto was sure it was Barry. Barry's blurred form looked back and turned away without giving a second glance.

"Ryuto," a voice called out. Ryuto's head shot up and saw his uncle was calling him. "You're food's ready."

Ryuto turned towards the table and saw his breakfast waiting for him. "Thanks," he replied.

He detached himself from the wall and sat in front of his cousin. Satsuki watched him with curious eyes. She knew her cousin had the tendency to let his emotions overtake him, but this time around he seemed to be keeping to himself. The sound of her phone buzzing broke her from her thoughts. She checked the message, from Aomine, and gave a soft giggle.

Ryuto perked up his head at the sound. "What's up?"

"Nothing, Dai-chan's excited is all," Satsuki responded setting her phone aside.

"I know, he's been texting me as well," Ryuto answered.

Satsuki let out a laugh, which Ryuto joined. When their laughter died down, the two cousins stared at each other for a moment.

 _When was the last time we talked like this?_ Ryuto thought.

 _It's been forever since we just talked_ Satsuki thought.

Ryuto noticed Satuki's eyes dart around his face, as well as quick glance towards his chest. While Satsuki noticed where his eyes fell. Their faces turned to a bright shade of red, and the two cousins turned away from each other, a bit embarrassed at their exchange of glances.

"I should get ready," Satsuki said, still not facing him.

"Yeah, you do that," Ryuto responded.

Satsuki stood up from her chair and walked out of the kitchen. Ryuto saw her leave out of the corner of his eye. He turned back towards his food, all of a sudden his hunger disappeared.

"What was that about?" his uncle asked siting down.

Ryuto slapped himself across the face and stood up abruptly. "Thanks for the food," he said to his uncle, adding a bow. He then turned on his heel and walked out of the kitchen.

"Wait a minute! You barely touched your food!" his uncle called out.

Ryuto ignored him as he closed the door to his room. He jumped on his bed and began to rub his eyes trying to forget their exchange. Meanwhile, Satsuki was in her room, putting on her school uniform in a flustered manner.

 _She is my cousin, I can't think like that. How hasn't Kuroko hooked up with her yet?_ Ryuto thought.

 _I've never noticed how handsome he looks. I can see now what Aida-san sees in him. I can't think that way, he's my cousin_ Satuki thought.

Ryuto slapped himself across the face again, while Satsuki was clapping against her cheeks. Ryuto finished putting on his school uniform, ran a hand through his hair and hastily exited his room. He speed-walked towards the door to leave as quickly as possible, he did not want to have to face his cousin in such an awkward way. He put on shoes and called out to his uncle that he was leaving and exited the door.

Satsuki, meanwhile, when she finished putting on her uniform, she quickly moved towards the bathroom and closed the door. She let out a breath as she looked at herself in the mirror. She still had a flustered expression and her cheeks had her hands printed on them in red. She let out a sigh and turned on the sink. She cupped the water in her hands and splashed it on her face. Her head perked up when she heard Ryuto calling out that he was leaving. She sighed again and turned off the water. She looked at herself in the mirror again and took in a breath. When she exited the bathroom she let it out and walked towards the front door.

"Dad, I'm leaving," she called out.

"Okay, see you later." he called out from the kitchen.

As she opened the door, she could hear her father call out to her. He walked out of the kitchen and towards her. "What's up with you and Ryuto? You've been acting weird all morning."

Satsuki's face turned a bright red and she quickly turned away from her father. "N-nothing. Everything is fine."

Satsuki hastily opened the door and exited, leaving her father to simply shrug at what happened earlier.

At school, Ryuto tried to busy himself to forget the events from the morning. When the lunch bell rang, he walked towards the classrooms of the second years. When he reached 2-A, he stopped and looked into the classroom. He smiled when he saw Riko. She had headphones on and was writing something down. When he reached her, he tapped her right shoulder and walked left. Riko's head perked up as she looked to the right, but saw nothing. She then turned her head left and saw Ryuto had pulled out a chair was sitting down. She let out a surprised yelp, before it morphed into a laugh and Ryuto joined her laughter. As she let out a breath, she pushed the headphones off her head and rested them on her neck.

"What's up?" she asked.

"Nothing. Just wanted to come by," Ryuto answered.

"What's up with that? You're always with Kuroko-kun, Kagami-kun, and the other first years during lunch," she asked, crossing her arms and leaning back in her seat.

Ryuto shrugged, but Riko's gaze continued to be the same. He gave a nervous laugh and placed his hand behind his head. "That's not flying, huh?" Riko gave a smile and nodded no. She leaned in the hear what the grey-haired boy had to say. "Are you free tonight?" he asked.

Riko nodded yes, and remained silent.

"I was wondering if you wanted to come with me to see Barry and my other friends?"

Riko's face morphed from intrigued to surprised as soon as Ryuto finished talking. She had only met Barry once and he seemed nice for how long she talked to him, but meeting his other friends was not something she was expecting to do. "Your friends from America?"

Ryuto nodded. "Yeah, I thought it would be cool. But if you can't or don't want to, I understand."

"No, no, no," she replied waving her hands quickly, "it's not that. I was just surprised."

"Oh"

She then closed her eyes and took in a breath. Riko took the moment to calm herself down and try to have the situation less frantic. When she opened her eyes, Ryuto was looking towards her. His pale blue-almost grey eyes, seemed to say he was eager to know her answer. While his body language said he was patient to hear her answer.

"Sounds fun, let's go," She said with a smile.

"Great. I'll tell Barry," Ryuto said standing from his seat.

He then leaned down and kissed her forehead, and as he stood back up he noticed what she had been writing in the notebook; stats from the players from the two games. "You're doing that, too?"

She nodded and turned towards the notebook. "I want to have a good strategy for our game against them."

Ryuto let out a low laugh. "I bet. Satsuki was doing the same last night." Saying his cousins name, caused the memory of what happen in the morning to be at the forefront of his mind. He tried to block out the thoughts with other things to occupy himself.

Riko noticed the face he made and her brows came together, wondering what was going though his head. "You okay?" she asked with a concerned tone.

"I'm fine, just an embarrassing memory came into my mind," Ryuto replied.

She let out a laugh. "Is it when me and your mom talked about the American girl you liked and thinking that I was going to ask your friends about it?"

"It wasn't that, but now that you said it, it's at the center of my thoughts," Ryuto said with a groan.

"Relax," she said giving him a light punch to the arm, "I won't."

"Yeah, I don't believe that for a second."

Riko laughed again and Ryuto simply rolled his eyes and started to walk away. As her laughter died down she turned back towards her notebook, but turned back towards the door when she heard Ryuto call out to her.

"One more thing, Kuroko and Taiga might come with us. Is that okay with you?"

She nodded and gave him a smile. "It's fine."

Ryuto gave a sigh of relief and walked out of the second year classroom.

—-

Barry sat in the hotel lobby, looking through his phone. Due to the time difference, it was difficult to have a conversation with someone back home. He did manage to talk to Joe as he was awake due to police work. He had told him the team was mentioned on the local news after their victories. That made Barry smile, knowing that people back in Central City were keeping up with their games in some matter. Due to the 13-hour time difference, it meant that games were played in the early morning in the US and most people were asleep, so it did not surprise him that people were not able to see the games. He set his phone aside when he saw Cisco sit down in front of him. He let out a yawn as he did so.

"Still tired?" Barry asked, adding a chuckle at the end.

Cisco rubbed his eyes. "That, and I stayed up late last night."

Barry rose an eyebrow. "What are you talking about? I got out of the shower and could've sworn you were asleep."

"Nah, I was on my phone for a while. Then I turned on the T.V. and started watching random Japanese shows, all unsubtitled by the way," Cisco said ending his statement pointing his finger towards Barry.

Barry sat back in his seat and laughed. "That's your problem."

"Fair enough," Cisco said giving a defeated sigh. "So, what are the plans for tonight?"

"We're going to see Shibuya."

"Yes!" Cisco yelled out excitedly. "That's another place I really wanted to visit."

Barry laughed, he knew Cisco was the most excited to visit different areas of Tokyo. Barry himself was excited as well, he had always wanted to leave Central City and visit somewhere else and now that he was in Japan, he wanted to spend as much time as possible visiting places. It made him happy that their old group of friends were spending time together. The way they talked was like they never separated in the first place.

"By the way, how's Jay?" Cisco asked, taking Barry away from his thoughts.

"From what he told me, his legs hurt. I let him sleep on my bed last night rather than on the floor," Barry answered.

Cisco sat back in his chair. "Anything else?"

"Not that he's told me."

Cisco let out a breath and stood up. "I'll go talk to him." He turned away from Barry and started to walk towards the elevator.

Barry let out a sigh. Ever since the team arrived at the hotel the night before, Jay had been in a sour mood. Barry could not understand why; the team had won and he had played his hardest. Barry did have to admit, Jay had overexerted himself during the last quarter and it caused him to be in pain. But Jay's bitterness was not something he could fully understand.

Barry stood up to follow Cisco, but out of the corner of his eye he saw Ronnie and Coach Stein walking towards the elevators. Ronnie had a towel over his head and wore sweaty exercise cloths. Coach Stein, on the other hand, was dressed as he usually was; a sweater and casual khaki pants. He walked with a ball placed between his hand and his hip.

Barry knew what they had been up to. Ronnie would always practice with Coach Stein, it somehow made him a better player. Barry hastened his pace to catch up with them at the elevator. When he got closer, he called out to them.

"Guys, wait!"

The teen and older man stopped walking and turned towards Barry, who was jogging towards them. "Good morning, Mr. Allen," Coach Stein greeted.

"Is it still morning?" Ronnie asked.

"Yeah, it's only 11:30," Barry said looking at his watch.

"Damn, I thought it was past noon," Ronnie replied half disappointed.

Barry rose an eyebrow. "How long have you been awake?"

Ronnie scratched the back of his head, trying to recollect the amount of time he had spent practicing. "7 AM, I think."

Barry's eyes widened in surprise. "That's ridiculous. I wasn't even awake at that time."

"Neither was I. When I had woken up, I saw Ronald's message about wanting to practice. When I arrived at the court, he was already there," Stein added.

The ding of the elevator sounded and the doors opened. The three walked into the elevator and continued their conversation. "I get you want to get a chance to play, but don't overexert yourself," Barry cautioned.

Stein pressed the button for their floor, the doors closed and the car began to move upwards.

"It's not about that. Coach Wells said he was going to start me in tomorrows game. Plus, I have to guard their ace, Ryota Kise." Ronnie explained.

Barry was once again left surprised, he could not form words to respond. The thought of Ronnie defending one of the Generation of Miracles seemed absurd to him. He wanted to know why Coach Wells chose him to one-on-one Kaijo's ace.

"That's insane. You can't go up against him. He's all of the Generation of Miracles in one player," Barry said with his voice rising in volume.

"If coach thinks I can handle it, then who am I to judge," Ronnie replied with his voice rising too.

"Now, now, boys. Time to settle down," Stein said trying to diffuse the situation.

The two boys ignored the older man's words and continue to argue.

"It's not about that, it's about skill. You don't have the abilities to contest someone like that," Barry said getting close to yelling.

"Well not all of us are lightning fast, or never miss a shot!"

The elevator dinged as it came to a stop. The door opened, and the two boys exited, still arguing. Stein let out a sigh and removed his glasses. He pinched the bridge of his nose before putting on his glasses. "Unbelievable."

"That is enough you two!" Stein said pushing the tow boys apart. "There's no need to argue. Harrison has been known to be several steps ahead of those around him. In that case, Mr. Allen, you should respect his decisions as head coach."

Barry crossed his arms and turned away from the two. "I still think it isn't a good idea," he murmured.

Stein sighed again before turning towards Ronnie. "And you, Ronald. I know your eager to play against one of the Generation of Miracles, but you should not let pride get in the way of someone making an observation. You two are teammates and friends, while it is normal to have disagreements, you always have each other's backs."

Barry uncrossed his arms and turned towards Ronnie. Ronnie, meanwhile, turned back at a slower pace. When they faced each other, the two were silent. "Coach Stein's right. We did blow things out of proportion," Ronnie said, breaking the silence first.

Barry nodded. "While I do stand by some of the things I said, I could have worded them better."

Ronnie let out a laugh and lightly punched Barry's arm. "Dick."

"Come on, we're heading to Shibuya with Ryuto and Taiga later today," Barry said with a smile.

Ronnie nodded enthusiastically and started to walk towards his hotel room.

Stein let out a sigh of relief, pleased he managed to mitigate the fight between the two teenagers. "Teenagers."

—

When the final bell rang, Ryuto let out a yawn as he stood from his desk.

"You shouldn't do that, Ryuto-kun. It's rude," Kuroko said.

Ryuto turned over to the blue haired boy to see him putting his books into his bag. The two boys had been taking history class together since the year started and he would sometimes forget they did. "Sorry. I haven't been getting much sleep lately."

"Is it because of your American friends?"

Ryuto opened his mouth to respond, but no words came out. He was not sure why he was not sleeping as much as he used to. He was organized with his studies and would never try to stay up too late studying. However, what Kuroko had said made him wonder. _Is it possible that that's why I'm not sleeping?_

"Ryuto-kun?" Kuroko called out.

Ryuto rapidly blinked as he was taken away from his thoughts. "Sorry, lost in thought."

Kuroko nodded and stood up from his desk. The two boys walked out of the classroom and towards the gym, for another short practice. It had been that way since CCHS had arrived, only practicing fundamentals and plays. The two boys entered the locker room, where Izuki and Hyuga were already there, getting changed. The two greeted their upperclassmen and opened their lockers.

"You never answered my question," Kuroko said.

Ryuto stopped moving. He had never answered Kuroko's question. He let out a breath and placed his shoes in his locker. "I'm not sure. Maybe you're right."

"You have seemed on edge since they arrived. The two games we saw, it was noticeable. To me at least."

Ryuto sighed as he put on his practice shirt. He was happy to see his old friends, but he was starting to remember what he had said before he left: he would be back. If he had to be honest, that was what was bothering him the most. It surprised him that no one, even Barry, had yet to ask him if he was coming back.

"I'm sure whatever is bother you, you'll find a way to get over it," Kuroko said closing his locker.

"I hope you're right," Ryuto said softly, closing his locker.

For the short practice, the team worked on their defensive inbound plays; mainly the Stealth Full-Court Man-to-Man Defense. Ryuto noticed that Kuroko was practicing harder than usual making sure he was able to steal as many passes as he could. When the practice ended, Ryuto noticed Kuroko taking long sips of water. He grabbed the towel he carried and walked over to him. He placed the towel over the blue haired boy's head.

Kuroko gave a surprised look as he turned towards Ryuto.

"Good work today. Just don't overexert yourself."

Kuroko smiled and nodded. "Yeah."

"Now come on, we're heading to Shibuya tonight," Ryuto said with a smile.

"Guys, wait for me!" Kagami called out.

"Hurry your ass!" Ryuto said.

As Kagami gathered his belongings, Ryuto walked over to Riko, who was putting away a bag of basketballs in the gyms's closet. As she placed the bag down, she let out a breath and wiped her forehead with the sleeve of her sweater. When she turned, she saw Ryuto leaning against the doorway. He had his usual smile, with his grey hair swept to the left. "Hey."

"You still want to come to Shibuya?" he asked, straightening himself.

Riko nodded. "I want to meet your friends. Allen-san was nice."

Ryuo let out a laugh. "Allen-san? Please call him that when you see him." Riko cocked her head to the side, unsure if what she had said was incorrect. "Anyways, should I go to your place to pick you up or do you want to meet at the train station?" Ryuto asked, with his laughter dying down.

"Let's meet at the station. It'll be easier," Riko answered.

"Sure," Ryuto said smiling. "See you then."

Riko smiled and nodded in response. The two held each other's hands for a moment, before separating. Ryuto back towards Kuroko to see him leaving with Kagami. "Wait up!"

"Now you hurry your ass!" Kagami called out.

Ryuto groaned and jogged to his friends to catch up with them.

—

After going their respective houses, the three boys met up at the train station to wait for Riko. The boys changed into more casual clothes. Ryuto wore a navy blue hoodie with a grey shirt underneath, dark blue jeans, and black sneakers. Kuroko wore a long sleeved bottom down shit, but with the sleeves rolled up, with a striped, blue and white shirt, blue jeans and light blue sneakers. Kagami wore a red hoodie that was zipped up, black jeans, with red sneakers.

"Where's your girlfriend?" Kagami asked.

"She'll be here. She just texted me saying she was a few minutes away," Ryuto assured.

"There she is," Kuroko said pointing forwards.

Ryuto followed Kuroko's gaze to see Riko waving to them as she got closer. She wore a white sweater, like the boys she also wore jeans and brown boots. "Hey, guys. Sorry I'm late," Riko apologized.

"It's no problem, Coach," Kuroko assured her.

"You don't have to call me Coach here, Kuroko-kun," Riko said waving her hand in front of her face.

"Sure, Aida-san," Kuroko said with a polite bow.

Ryuto clapped his hands to gain the attention of the three teens. "Come on, the others are waiting."

The three teens nodded and boarded the train.

—-

At the hotel lobby, Barry waited for Ryuto with the others from their middle school group; along with Snart, who wanted to come along since Kuroko was coming too. The all wore casual clothes, consisting of hoodies or jackets and jeans.

Barry felt his phone buzz and took it out, seeing it was a text from Ryuto he opened it to read it. Barry then stood up and put the phone is his pocket. When he stood up, it garnered the attention of everyone. "They're here. Let's go."

"Yes!" Cisco said, practically jumping up. "I'm so pumped to head to Shibuya."

"The same goes for me," Ronnie added.

The group of boys exited the hotel where Ryuto, Kagami, and Kuroko were waiting. When the group noticed Riko, they quickly swarmed Ryuto; minus Snart who was uninterested, he simply greeted Kuroko and introduced himself to Riko.

"Hello, my name's Leonard Snart. Pleased to meet you," Snart said with a bow.

Riko's eyes widened in surprise, not expecting to meet a foreigner that could speak Japnese with such ease. "Hi. Nice to meet you, too. My names's Aida Riko."

Snart nodded and turned to talk towards Kuroko. At the same time, the group of boys were asking Ryuto a lot of questions.

"Is that your girlfriend?" Ronnie asked. Ryuto nodded in response and before he could answer, Cisco was asking him a question.

"I gotta say, not bad. Though you and Caitlin were a better match."

Ryuto let out a half hearted laugh. "Dude, when you get to know her then make that decision."

"Guys, give him some room and let's introduce ourselves to her," Jay said.

"Thanks, Jay."

The boys then separated and let Ryuto walk up to Riko. "Riko, these are my friends from Central City."

"Cisco Ramon, Jay Garrick, and Ronnie Raymond."

"It's a please to meet you all," Riko said with a bow.

"Likewise. I'm glad Ryuto has someone to keep him under control," Jay said bowing back.

Ryuto rolled his eyes at the comment, but everyone else laughed at it; even Snart let out a short laugh.

"Let's go, Shibuya is waiting!" Cisco said as he started to walk.

Everyone watched as Cisco walked forwards by himself. He turned back to see no one following him and holding back laughter. "What?"

"Cisco, Shibuya is that way," Ryuto said holding in laughter while pointing behind him.

"Pshhhh, I knew that," Cisco said as he walked back to the group.

"You're only embarrassing yourself more, Cisco," Snart said bluntly.

"Shut it, Snart."

After a short walk, the group from Central City were surprised that their hotel was so close to Shibuya, they arrived to Shibuya. Cisco was the first to marvel at the district. The streets were filled with people, tourists and locals alike. He turned back to the group and had a wide smile on his face.

"So, what are we doing first? Karaoke? Food? Both?"

"We're the guides so it's your choice," Ryuto said.

The three locals nodded in agreement and turned towards the group. Barry turned towards his friends to ask where they wanted to go. They all seemed in agreement to where they wanted to go. "Cisco's wanted to go to a karaoke place for a while. So let's start there," Barry said.

"Sure. I have to warn you though, Kuroko has a killer voice," Ryuto said with a laugh.

"That's not true Ryuto-kun," Kuroko said nervously.

"You're being modest. Now, come on," Kagami said.

The group found a place to sing their hearts out and they did just that. Cisco sang in both English and Spanish, which impressed the locals. When Cisco finished his songs, everyone applauded for his performance.

"Dude, I didn't know you knew how to sing that well. In Spanish too, that was awesome," Kagami said.

Cisco place a hand behind his head and laugh nervously. "Thanks. I don't usually sing in public."

"Okay, so who's next? Snart?" Ryuto asked offering him the mic.

Snart held up his hand and nodded no. "Sorry, but I don't sing. How about you belt out some notes?"

At the mention of Ryuto singing, everyone began to call him out. He let out a nervous laugh and stood up, causing the group to clap. Ryuto could see Cisco taking out his phone. "What're you doing?" Ryuto asked raising an eyebrow.

"Face Timing, Caitlin. She's got to see this," Cisco said with a smile.

"Please don't."

"Too late, she already picked up. Now, start singing," Cisco said holding up his phone.

Ryuto let out a sigh and turned towards the screen. Ryuto chose a song from one of his favorite Japanese artists and it was their most popular song. As the words came on the screen, Ryuto began to sing. It was a song he was familiar with so he knew the words of the song. When the song had ended, he turned towards group who were silent.

"I know I'm bad, but you could at least say something," Ryuto said crossing his arms.

"Dude, what're you saying? You sing great!" Barry encouraged.

"He's right, Ryu," Caitlin's voice said through the phone, "you sing really nicely. Even if I didn't know what exactly you were saying."

Ryuto's expression softened at hearing Caitlin's voice. "Thanks, Cait."

Caitlin smiled back in response. From the phone, the sound of a bell was heard. Caitlin looked back and turned back towards the screen. "I got to go, but it looks like all of you are having fun."

"Bye, Cait," Ryuto said.

"See ya, Caitlin!" the group from CCHS and Kagami said crowding in front of the camera.

Caitlin hung up on her end and Cisco put his phone away.

"Okay, who's next?" Ryuto asked holding out the microphone.

"I'll go," Barry said standing up.

"That's it, Barry!" Jay called out.

Barry laughed as he chose his song. Ryuto sat down next to Riko, who had been staring at him since he talked with Caitlin. _Is that the girl Rikai-san told me about?_ she asked herself. Riko was taken out of her thoughts when Barry started to sing, surprised at how his voice sounded when he sang.

"I think he sings better than you," she said, lightly elbowing Ryuto.

"I'd believe it," Ryuto affirmed.

"Though, you weren't bad either," Riko said, resting her head on Ryuto's shoulder.

"Thanks. You should go up too."

"Not on your life."

The two teens laughed and continued to listen as Barry sang. Ryuto always knew Barry could sing. Whenever they would hang out, one way or another he would start to sing. He had very good control of the way he would sing, almost like a professional. When Barry finished his song, everyone clapped as he bowed with a large smile on his face. He then held out the microphone asking who else wanted to try.

"Kuroko, you're the only one who hasn't gone yet," Kagami said.

"You haven't gone either, Kagami-kun," Kuroko replied.

"Yeah, but I can't sing."

Kuroko rolled his eyes, but stood up anyways. He got a round of applause as he grabbed the microphone.

"Knock 'em dead, Tetsuya," Barry said with a smile.

Kuroko nodded and chose his song. As his song started, he started to sing. It noticeable quickly that Kuroko could, indeed, sing. He had good control of his pitch similar to Barry. His singing voice sounded nothing like his speaking voice, it was almost as if he was a different person. When his song concluded, everyone began to clap and congratulating Kuroko on his singing.

After a few more rounds, the group decided to call it a night and head back for the night. As they walked, they talked about how most people in the group had very good singing talents.

"Next time we do this, Tetsuya and Barry need to have a singing battle," Ronnie said.

"What about me?" Cisco asked crossing his arms.

"Cisco, we all know they're probably the best singers here," Kagami said.

"I think Cisco should be included in that group," Ryuto said.

"Thank you. See, Ryuto understands."

The group laughed at the comment. As they walked, Riko separated from Ryuto and walked closer to Barry. Barry could see out of the corner of his eye Riko getting closer to him. He began to sweat nervously, wonder why she was getting closer to him.

"Can I ask you something?" she asked.

"I, uh, y-yes?" Barry said nervously.

"Relax, you're not going to be interrogated," Riko said with a laugh.

Barry let out a relieved sigh. "Sure, what do you want to know?"

"Who was that girl on the phone? Caitlin?"

Barry felt his nervousness immediately return. His palms got sweaty as did his neck. Has he not told her about Caitlin? Or maybe she's just curious as to who she is? What if I say something that'll harm their relationship? These questions raced through Barry's mind. As his mind raced, he felt as if time slowed.

Riko, meanwhile, watched as Barry tensed. She had an idea as to what he was thinking, but she did not expect him to react in such a way. She tapped his shoulder, and she could feel as he tensed up even more.

"I'm not jealous or anything. I just want to know who she is. She seems special to Ryuto."

Barry let out a breath and relaxed himself. "Caitlin is part of our original friend group, well Ryuto's friend group. It was originally him, Cisco, Taiga, Jay, Ronnie, and Caitlin; I joined later. The group was really close and Ryuto had a massive crush on her. Though, when he confessed it was when he was leaving for Japan so they never became a thing."

"And that's all there is to it," Ryuto said as he placed a hand on their shoulders.

The two teens turned back, where Ryuto was smiling behind them. Ryuto then moved to separate Barry from Riko in order to speak to her. "Riko, Cait's one of my best friends. However, you're the one I love."

Riko blushed and turned away from Ryuto. Barry gave a soft smile at the two. He had only seen the two share a hug, but hearing the way he spoke to her, even if he did not understand the language, he knew they had a special relationship. Ryuto then turned towards Barry with a sly smile on his face.

"What about you and Cade? Did anything happen there?"

Barry got nervous one again and his face turned bright red. As he started to give an answer, he would stutter his words.

"Looks like we're here," Jay announced as they turned the corner.

"This is our stop," Barry said walking away from the two, silently thanking Jay.

"Man, tonight was fun. We're doing this again, right?" Cisco asked.

"Depends on the timing," Kagami said with a shrug.

The group said their goodbyes and turned away from each other. Before they made it too far, Ryuto turned back and called out the CCHS players. "Good luck tomorrow. It's another tough match."

The teammates looked at each other and nodded. "We know. Playing against all the Generation of Miracles at once is going to be tough," Barry said.

"Don't expect us to back down though," Ronnie said with determination.

"Not in a million years," Kagami said giving the group a thumbs up.

Cisco returned the thumbs up and the American teens turned to enter their hotel. The Japanese teens turned and walked towards the train station.

"I wonder if they can handle Kise-kun tomorrow?" Riko asked.

Ryuto shrugged. "I don't know. Kise doesn't have a parallel on that team."

"Whatever the case, it'll be another close match," Kuroko said.

"You're right about that," Kagami added.

The four teens reached the train station to head to their homes.

When Ryuto got to his house, the kitchen light was one. He checked his phone for the time, and it was unlikely anyone was awake. He poked his head through the door way to see someone rummaging through refrigerator. Ryuto rose an eye brow and turned on the light to see who it was. When the light turned on he quickly realized who it was; Satsuki.

"Ryu-chan!" Satsuki said surprised.

"Why are you awake?" Ryuto asked walking towards her.

"I was hungry," Satsuki said, closing the refrigerator.

"Yeah, but-" he stopped himself when he saw what she was wearing, just a loose long-sleeved shirt. His face quickly turned red and he turned away from her. "Can you put some pants on or something?"

Satsuki soon realized what he was saying and sprinted out of the kitchen. "Don't look you perv!"

"You're the one barely dressed!" Ryuto called out. "Dammit."

 **AN: And here ends a short, fun chapter. I know this looks like a filler chapter, and it kinda is, but I wanted to have a non-game chapter in between to not have so many game chapters back to back. As to why this short chapter took so long, is basically 'cause a lot of stuff was going on in my personal life and that is always a priority over writing. Second was writers block. I know that sounds dumb as hell for a filler chapter, but I had trouble making things cohesive. Plus I wanted to make this chapter comedic and laid back and that was a challenge. With that out of the way, I hope you enjoyed this chapter and stay tuned for the next one. Remember to follow, favorite, and/or review if you haven't already.**

 **PS: On Twitter I uploaded a voice sample as to what Ryuto would sound like if he was actually part of KnB. If you guys want some more things like that, I can do it for the Arrowverse characters as well.**


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Copy Cat

Barry dribbled the ball slowly. He looked up to see Ryuto defending him. Ryuto had grey lightning coming out of his eyes and his sole focus was on Barry. Barry knew what was going on, Ryuto was in the Zone; a state that could only be reached through intense love for basketball and having a specific trigger. Barry had never played with anyone in the Zone before, so he was cautious. Barry felt a tug in his heart as he saw Ryuto's uniform, it was not the red and yellow of CCHS, but the black, white, and red of Seirin. That was the last thing he wanted, having to play against the person who helped him find his love for basketball.

Barry shook his head trying to remove the distracting thoughts, he had to focus, focus on defeating the person in front of him. Ryuto had said something to him before the showdown, something that was playing over in his mind: _When we face off on the court, we're enemies. I see you as such and you should too, if you want to win_.

Barry could not think of Ryuto that way. The last thing he wanted was having one of his best friends as an enemy.

Barry brought his focus back to the one-on-one. He had to break past his opponent. Barry crossed over to his left, and cut back right. In the split second he broke free from Ryuto, Kagami appeared in front of him, with red lighting in his eyes. Barry stopped his advance and the ball was knocked out his hands by Kuroko. He turned back to try and recover the ball, but Ryuto was already there. He saw Ryuto pick up the ball and sprint down the court. Barry watched as his opponent jumped into the air and slammed the ball into the hoop. When Ryuto landed on the court, he turned towards Barry.

Barry jumped from his bed. Sweat covered his forehead. He gasped, as if still playing in a game. He took a few moments to calm. When he did, he swallowed and got out of his bed. He silently walked towards the bathroom. He closed the door behind him, let out a short breath and turned on the light. When his eyes adjusted, he looked at himself in the mirror. He was still sweating. Barry took off his shirt and grabbed a towel, wiping it across his face and chest. He placed the towel back on the hanger and turned back towards the mirror. He leaned against the sink, letting out another breath, it had been a long time since he had a nightmare.

Barry looked down towards his feet, then back up. He turned on the faucet and cupped the water that poured out. He splashed water on his face to cool himself off. His nightmare began to flash in his mind, he tried his best to block them out.

No, no, that won't happen. Ryuto, Taiga, and Tetsuya are my friends. They'd never look at me, or anyone, with such cold eyes.

He continued to splash water on his face, but stopped when he heard a knock on the bathroom door. Barry closed the faucet and dried his hands. He opened the door to see Jay rubbing his eyes.

"Oh, Barry, you're the one in here," Jay said with a yawn.

"Yeah, sorry, I'll get out," Barry said grabbing his shirt.

As Jay stepped aside, he caught a glimpse of Barry's expression. He could see the unease on his face. "Is everything alright? The last time you had that face was when we played against that Thawne guy."

"Yeah, no, I'm fine."

"You don't look fine."

Barry took a deep breath and released it. He hated to ask. "Is it possible for friends to become enemies?"

Jay shrugged. "In movies it happens a lot, but I don't know if that happens in real life. Why?"

"No reason." Barry waved his hand. "Just forget it."

"Barry, are you sure everything's alright?"

Barry nodded and smiled. "I'm going back to sleep."

Jay watched as Barry returned to his bed before entering the bathroom. Barry turned over to face away from the bathroom. He spent the rest of the night trying to go back to sleep, but his mind was plagued by his nightmare.

In the morning, the CCHS team gathered in the hotel's conference room to go over a strategy against Kaijo. Coach Wells described how Kaijo was one of the more well-balanced teams they were playing against, excelling in both offense and defense. The reason for that was because of their ace; Kise Ryouta. Due to his ability to copy any move he saw, he could be pivotal on both offense and defense.

"As for guarding him," Coach Wells explained, "that job will be Ronnie's." The team was about to give their objections to the plan, but with a single glare Coach Wells quieted them down. "That should be all," Coach Wells concluded. He glanced at his watch, there was still several hours until the match. "You're all dismissed. We leave for the Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium at 4:30. Be sure to ready for then."

The team nodded, stood up, and left the conference room; the only person remaining was Barry. He did not pay attention to what Coach Wells was explaining, his was still too focused on the nightmare he had.

"Allen. Allen. Barry!"

Barry jumped at hearing his name called. He looked to his side to see Coach Wells with his hands on his hips.

"Y-Yes?"

"Were you paying any attention during the meeting?" Coach Wells asked raising an eyebrow. Barry shook his head, there was no use lying to Coach Wells. Wells let out a sigh and removed his glasses. "Do at least know who you're guarding?" Barry shook his head again. Wells pinched the bridge of his nose, annoyed that the team captain was oblivious to their meeting. "You're not guarding anyone. You'll be on the bench."

Barry shot up from his seat and slammed a hand on the table, not wanting to believe it. "You're benching me?"

Well nodded yes and put in his glasses. "Yes. Ryouta is usually playing small forward, since Ronnie is guarding him he'll be playing small forward."

"I still don't understand, why Ronnie is going one-on-one with a member of the Generation of Miracles," Barry said crossing his arms.

"Because he can quickly adapt to anything. It's his best trait, he can read and react almost as fast as Cisco," Wells explained.

"But with my speed I can out pace him."

"This isn't up for debate. If I see Ronnie starting to let up against Ryouta, then I'll swap him out. Now get some rest before the game."

Barry nodded and exited the conference room. He clenched his fists in frustration. Ronnie may be my friend, but I know this is a bad decision.

—

Ryuto walked home, scrolling through his phone. He stopped on an article about Coach Stein. He rose an eyebrow at the sight. He knew Coach Wells had a past in basketball, but the article was about Coach Stein's basketball career and that was something he did not know. He had always thought Coach Stein was just an analyst, someone who could read data and apply it; but the article was about his career as a player. As Ryuto read the article, he noticed just how similar him and Ronnie were. They were both players with below average skills, but with help from an experienced player, they would perform as good as any other player. It intrigued him. He knew Ronnie would pour everything he had into giving it his all during practice; even more so during games. He closed the article and put his phone in his pocket. As he walked he looked up to the sky, wondering how the game against Kaijo would turn out.

When he got home, he greeted his aunt and uncle and walked towards his room. He shut the door behind him and placed his school bag against the bed. He set his phone on his desk and plugged it in to charge. He moved towards the closet and took out the teams warmup clothes. He wanted to arrive early at the arena and not having to arrive just as the game was about to begin; plus he did not live close to the Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium. He swung his bag over his shoulder, grabbed his phone, and walked out of his room. The time was 4:45, he was likely going to arrive earlier than the others. As he walked towards the front door, he looked up from his phone to see Satsuki entering the house. Their eyes met and they quickly turned away from each other. What had happened between them the previous day was still on their minds, it caused them to be nervous around each other. Ryuto turned back to Satsuki to see her taking off her shoes and hanging a jacket.

"So, uh, can I talk to you for a sec?" Ryuto asked. Satsuki turned to him and nodded. Ryuto let out a sigh and leaned against the wall He placed his hands in his pockets and looked down. "About yesterday, can we just forgot it happened and just move past it?"

"I think that would be best," Satsuki replied.

"Great, I want things to go back to the way things were."

Ryuto removed himself from the wall and took a step forwards. He then held up his hand and made a fist. He smiled as he tilted his head to the side. Satsuki smiled and fist bumped her cousin. Ryuto walked past her and put on his shoes. As he exited the house he turned back to her. "See you at the game."

Satsuki nodded and watched as her cousin closed the door.

On the other side of the door, Ryuto let out a sigh and started to walk towards the train station.

When Ryuto arrived at the arena, he saw Kaijo entering their locker room. He looked at his phone and saw the time was 5:30, half an hour until the game started. He put his phone away and called out to Kasamatsu and Kise. The two Kaijo players turned and waved to their grey-haired friend. He walked up to the two and high fived them, while politely bowing to the coach and other team members.

"Make your conversation quick. There's somethings we need to go over before warmups," the coach said.

The three teens nodded and watched as the coach closed the door. When he did so the three turned to each other and laughed.

"So, you guys ready for today?" Ryuto asked rubbing his hands together.

"Of course, Ryutocchi," Kise said giving him a thumbs up.

"I agree with him. Those two games gave us a lot of info on them," Kasamatsu said crossing his arms.

"That's good."

"Where's the rest of Seirin?" Kise asked looking around.

Ryuto shrugged. "I don't know. I think I got here before them."

"Well, wish us luck. We got to get ready for the game," Kasamatsu said turing away.

"You better root for us, Ryutocchi," Kise said with a smile.

Ryuto let out a laugh. "I'll root for whoever is in the lead."

Kise and Kasamatsu laughed at the comment before entering their locker room. Ryuto turned on his heel and began to walk around the lobby of the gymnasium. He watched as people entered, ready to watch another game. It was clear that most of the spectators were going to root for Kaijo, as they were the home team. Ryuto smiled at the sight, knowing that so many people were coming to watch a game of basketball.

As he walked to the south side of the gymnasium, he saw Kagami standing with Kiyoshi. He called out to his teammates and waved to them. The two turned and waved back. The three gathered and waited for the rest of the team to arrive. When they all did, each of them were surprised to see that Ryuto was early.

"You're early!" Koga cried out at the sight of him.

Ryuto let out half a laugh. "Yep, and it's not like I've heard that a thousand times already." His final words ended in a murmur.

"We should find seats, come on guys," Hyuga said.

The team nodded in unison and followed their captain. The sat close to the court, and watched the two teams warm up. All of Seirin would point out certain aspects of each of the players on the court; while Kagami and Ryuto only focused on CCHS. They noticed how everyone practiced as they normally did, but Barry seemed to be, in Kagami's words, "half-assing it." Ryuto noticed Ronnie talking with Coach Stein, that was always a clear sign that Ronnie was going to play. Ryuto placed his hand on his chin and began to run possibilities through his head.

"Ronnie's staring," He said in a whisper that only Kagami caught.

"Yeah, I'm not sure why."

"Huh, Seirin?" a voice said behind them.

The Seirin team looked back to see Tatsuya and Murasakibara standing behind them. They were both in casual clothes and Murasakibara had his usual bag full of snacks.

"Oh, hey, Tatsuya!" Kagami greeted.

"And Murasakibara, too," Kiyoshi said with a smile.

"Kiyoshi," Murasakibara grumbled.

"Where's the rest of Yosen?" Ryuto asked.

"They went back to Akita," Tatsuya said sitting behind him while Murasakibara sat behind Kagami. "We decided to stick around and see the other games."

"Don't you have school work?" Kuroko asked.

"School year's almost over, Kuro-chin," Murasakibara said munching on a candy bar.

"Didn't know Yosen had such lax rules," Izuki said, causing Seirin to snicker.

Tatsuya rolled his eyes, while Murasakibara seemed to ignore the comment. Tatsuya turned his attention to the court, and was quick to notice Barry slacking on the warm ups. "I've never seen Barry slack off, even during warmups."

Seirin turned back to the court and focused their attention on Barry. They all noticed Barry was not in a good mood.

"Something must've happened before the game," Kagami said with a shrug.

"Probably has to do with Ronnie starting," Tatsuya said looked at Ronnie's warmups.

"Who's Ronnie?" Izuki asked trying to find who Tatsuya had said.

"The guy with short, dark brown hair, he's number 8," Ryuto said pointing.

When the team found him, they were all scratching their heads, wondering why someone with average skills was starting.

"How do you know he's starting?" Riko asked.

"He's trying a lot harder in the warmups and he had a conversation with Coach Stein," Kagami answered.

"To elaborate, Ronnie plays his heart out, but his skills are below average," Ryuto explained.

As he finished his sentence, all eyes turned towards Kuroko. Kuroko turned to Ryuto with a surprised look. Ryuto let out a sigh and rubbed his hand on his forehead.

"He's not like Kuroko. He doesn't specialize in passing. Ronnie, somehow, plays a hundred times better whenever he has a conversation with Coach Stein. It's almost as if Stein is able to transfer his skills into Ronnie."

"That makes no sense," Riko said.

"Stein's a former pro, I found out today."

"That's convenient," Murasakibara mumbled.

"Shut it, Snack Shack."

Everyone around him began to snicker, even Tatsuya let one out. While Murasakibara's brows came together in frustration.

"What was that?"

"Atsushi's nickname aside, was he a pro? I didn't know," Tatsuya asked.

Ryuto nodded. "Yeah, he apparently was. I wonder why he never said anything about it."

Their conversation was about to contiune, when a buzzer cut them off.

"Game time," Kagami said.

—-

Ronnie sat on the bench, along with the four other starters. He had never started in his entire basketball career, so when Coach Wells chose him to start he had the widest smile on his face. Now that that day had come, he was nervous.

"Does everyone understand?" Coach Wells asked.

The five players nodded in unison and stood up from the bench.

On Kaijo's bench, they went over their own game plan and prepared to play. The starters walked onto the court and looked towards the Americans.

"So these are what American's look like," Moriyama, Kaijo's shoot guard, said.

"What were you expecting?" Kasamatsu asked.

Moriyama shrugged. "Not sure." He then turned towards CCHS's bench, his eyes fell on Felicity and made some type of pose. "Though that blonde girl sure is pretty. I'll make sure she sees me win."

Kasamatsu let out a sigh and jabbed Moriyama in the side, causing him to flinch. "How about only focusing on winning."

"Relax, Captain. Maybe after the game, Ryuto can introduce you her," Kise said.

"Wait, what?"

Before Kise could respond, both teams were called over to the center of the court. The teams lined up with whoever they were going to be defending. They exchanged bows and shook each other's hands.

"Let's have a good game," Kasamatsu said to Cisco, in English.

"Woah, another guy who knows English, cool," Cisco said in an excited tone. "Anyways, the same goes for me."

Meanwhile, Kise got a good look at his opponent, Ronnie. Giving him only a quick glance and immediately dismissing him. "I wanted to play against the speedy guy," Kise said with a pout.

"Really, you're pouting," Kasamatsu said.

"I know. Captain, let's switch marks," Kise offered.

"No, that'll disrupt our strategy. Now come on, get ready for the jump ball."

The referee blew his whistle and both teams set up for the jump ball. Hayakawa slapped his cheeks to pump himself up, while Diggle gave him a strange look. The referee got in between them and tossed the ball into the air. Diggle was about to reach it when Hayakawa slapped it towards Kasamatsu. Diggle's eyes widened in surprise, it was the second time he was beaten at a jump ball; this time it was against someone the same height as him. Kasamatsu dribbled calmly to the three-point line, where Cisco was waiting to defend him.

"Let's keep things simple," Kasamatsu called out.

Kaijo nodded and got into position. Kise glanced at Ronnie, he still felt nothing in terms of strength coming from him. He caught the pass sent to him and got into a triple threat stance.

Ronnie watched him closely. Taking note of every twitch he made, waiting for him to drive. Kise then brought the ball to his side and started to dribble. Ronnie adjusted his stance, waiting for the attack. His eyes went wide when Kise blitzed past him in an instant. Ronnie turned back to see Kise avoid Diggle with a simple spin move, finishing his drive with a dunk.

The crowd exploded into cheers, while Ronnie cursed his inability to defend.

"He's light on his feet," Diggle said.

Cisco nodded. "Ronnie are you sure you can handle him?"

Ronnie nodded in response. "Just give me a few minutes to adjust to his speed."

There was a back and forth between both teams for the first half of the first quarter. Oliver scored most of the points with his threes, while Kise was making points around the court. After scoring a three pointer, Kise jogged past Ronnie. He stopped and turned towards him.

"I know you can't understand me, but try a bit harder. It's not fun when your opponent is weak."

Ronnie tightened his fist and his brows came together in frustration.

"Do you need a translation?" Snart asked.

"No, I know what he said."

"Just making sure."

"Ronnie, I hope you've adjusted, 'cause we need to stop him," Cisco said.

"I can keep up with him now. I won't let him score."

The four CCHS players nodded and they got ready for offense. The team scored a point with another one of Oliver's threes, bringing the point gap to one. The team set up for offense, and Ronnie prepared himself to defend Kise.

Up in the stands, Seirin was taking note on how evenly matched the two teams were.

"You might think that, but both teams are still waiting for the right moment to take charge. Kise is waiting for Ronnie to put up a fight," Ryuto explained.

"Like right now. Kise and Ronnie are going to have a one-on-one," Kagami said facing the court.

The Seirin team turned back to the court to see Kise holding the ball. Kise brought the ball to his side and began to dribble. He looked behind Ronnie and saw that Diggle was too far away and would not be able to help if he broke past him. Kise smiled. He crossed over to the left then back right and broke past Ronnie. As he dribbled towards the basket, he saw that no one moved to defend him. Kise smirked and jumped to dunk.

"Slow down, Kise!" Kasamatsu called out.

His words were too late as Kise was already jumping. As his hand neared the basket, he saw out of the corner of his eye, a hand coming towards him. _Crap, I don't have the momentum to do a double clutch_.

Ronnie's hand then slapped the ball out of Kise's hands. Kise's eyes widened in surprise and he let out a sharp gasp. The loose ball landed in Diggle's hands and he tossed it down the court. Where Cisco scored a solo layup. When the two teens landed, they faced each other.

"You might not understand me, but I managed to keep up."

"You bastard. Things now might get interesting."

As the quarter continued, Ronnie continued to pressure Kise. It was now more difficult for Kise to score as Ronnie could stop his advances. Kaijo's offense slowly became less focused on Kise.

The buzzer rang, signaling the end of the quarter and both teams returned to their benches. As CCHS sat down, they congratulated Ronnie on being able to hold off Kise. Ronnie took all the comments in stride, proud that his teammates could see that he was just as strong as them.

Coach Stein then walked up to the five players and kneelt in front of them. "Great work out there. We may be behind in points, but your performance is incredible." The players high fived each other, happy to hear praise from their coach. "And Ronald, you're doing great. Mind talking with me in private for a moment."

Ronnie nodded and stood up from the bench. The players watched as the two walked to the opposite end of the bench to get some privacy. Coach Wells then cleared his throat to get everyone's attention. As he explained the game plan, Stein talked with Ronnie to see if he was all right.

"I'm fine. Actually, I feel better than fine," Ronnie said happily.

"I know that, but I have to know. You're copying my old play style and that can wear off after a certain period of time," Coach Stein said in a cautious tone.

"If I feel things slowing down for me, I'll tell you."

Coach Stein let out a relieved sigh. "Good. Now get ready for the second quarter."

The buzzer then sounded and both teams walked back onto the court. Kise glanced towards Ronnie, now feeling some type of strength coming off of him.

"Are you going to use it?" Kasamatsu asked behind him.

Kise turned back to see his captain, arms crossed and looking towards Ronnie as well. "No. Not yet at least. If he pulls some stunt out of his ass, I will."

Kasamatsu nodded and prepared to keep playing.

The referee blew his whistle and the second quarter started. Up in the stands, Ryuto noticed how Ronnie had yet to improve, but he was keeping up with Kise.

"Ronnie's plateaued and yet he's keeping up with Kise," he murmured.

Behind him, Tatsuya caught what he had said. "What do you mean?"

"Ronnie has used the same play style since middle school, he hasn't improved."

Everyone turned towards the court, while Seirin and Murasakibara did not know what they were talking about, Kagami, Ryuto and Tatsuya knew. On the court, Ronnie scored a layup on Kise after breaking away from him. On their way to defense, Ronnie high fived Cisco.

"Doing great."

Ronnie gave him a thumbs up in response. On defense, Ronnie managed to steal a pass sent towards Kise. Ronnie dribbled down the court, and jumped for a layup. Behind him, Kise sprinted to catch up.

"I'll stop you!" he yelled as he ran. Kise jumped to block Ronnie's shot, but Ronnie tucked the ball and tossed it from his left hand. Kise, meanwhile, collided with him causing the referee to blow his whistle. The ball bounced off the back board and spun around the rim before entering the basket. The crowed exploded with surprised cheers with most of them saying that Ronnie was beating Kise.

"Dammit!" Kise yelled out, stomping his foot on the ground.

"Kise!" Kasamatsu called out.

Kise turned towards his captain, who had a stern expression on his face with his arms crossed. He walked towards him until they were face to face. They remained quiet for a minute until Kasamatsu karate chopped Kise's head. Kise began to rub his head, soothing the pain, while saying "ow" repeatedly.

"Get your head out of your ass before I do it for you," Kasamatsu said sternly.

Kise stopped rubbing his head and looked Kasamatsu in the eyes, and nodded. "Yes."

Up in the stands, Ryuto let out a laugh after watching Kise and Kasamatsu's exchange. "If it weren't for Kasamatsu, Blondie wouldn't be able to bounce back like that."

"He still has to break past Ronnie, though," Tatsuya said behind him.

"I think, the real battle starts now."

Back on the court, Ronnie scored his free throw effortlessly tying the score. After the inbound, Kasamatsu dribbled the ball to the three-point line, where Cisco waited for him. Ronnie watched out of the corner of his eye Kasamatsu's movements, waiting for the right moment to steal the ball.

"You should keep yourself focused on me," Kise said.

Ronnie turned his gaze back to Kise and the moment he did so, Kasamatsu sent a pass towards him. Ronnie scrambled to cut it off, but it reached Kise before he could catch it. Kise used the opening to attack the basket, but before he could make it Diggle moved to defend. Kise spun around Diggle, avoiding him, and jumped up for a dunk. As he slammed the ball in, the crowd erupted in cheers calling out Kise for being so quick.

"Wasn't that your move, Kagami-kun?" Kuroko asked facing the red head.

"That blonde bastard!" Kagami yelled out.

"It's just a spin move though," Murasakibara said, his voice muffled as he stuffed his mouth.

The group let out a laugh, while Kagami seemed to fume with frustration. When their laughter died down, they turned back to the court to watch CCHS's turn at offense.

Cisco passed the ball to Ronnie, and when he caught it, he set up in a triple threat position facing Kise. Ronnie then started to dribble the ball and would add an occasional crossover to it. He waited for his opening to attack, but was mindful of the shot clock. He then quickly cut to the right, which Kise followed. However, Ronnie spun on his heel and went left. Kise turned, stunned he had fallen for a move he had just used. Ronnie continued his advance, as Kobori moved to defend him. Ronnie moved to pass, Kobori moved to stop it, but it was a fake and he went up for the lay up. As he jumped, Kise's hand appeared, knocking the ball out of his hands. Ronnie turned his head to see the ball caught by Oliver.

Oliver set up for a shot, but Moriyama jumped to block it. Oliver smirked, he had faked Moriyama since his feet never left the ground. He then jumped to release, and as he did so he collided with Moriyama. The referee blew his whistle and the ball bounced off the back board and into the hoop.

The two boys landed and Oliver gave a smug smirk towards Moriyama, while Moriyama gritted his teeth in frustration.

Both teams set up for a free throw, which Oliver made; scoring a four-point play.

When the second quarter reached the 5 minute mark, CCHS had taken the lead by six. Kise kept a close eye on Ronnie, he now had an idea of what his ability was; he could copy moves just like him. At another one of their one-on-ones, Kise dribbled the ball and watched Ronnie's defense. He then stopped his dribble and moved into a shooting stance. Ronnie jumped to block it, but noticed something different about his shooting form.

"No way," he murmured, eyes widening in realization.

Kise smirked and released. The ball sailed in a straight line, it bounced off the back board and into the hoop. All of CCHS were left stunned, even Oliver could not find words to say.

"It took some time, but seeing after all of you guys move, I can now replicate them," Kise said.

Ronnie turned towards him, gritting his teeth. Kise, still with a smirk on his face, turned away from Ronnie. "Can you still win?"

On their way to defense, Kaijo congratulated Kise's point. CCHS was still silent, they were not expecting Kise to be able to copy their moves.

"That bastard," Oliver mumbled. The other four players turned towards him, but were surprised to find him with a smile on his face. "I'll crush him. Only I can use that style." The other four nodded and returned to playing.

Up in the stands, Ryuto, Kagami, and Tatsuya's jaws had dropped even more so than the rest of Seirin. They were not expecting Kise to be able to copy anyone in CCHS normally. They had all expected Kise to use Perfect Copy in order to do so.

"Damn, if he can copy Oliver then he can copy all of them," Tatsuya said collecting himself.

Ryuto and Kagami nodded in response; Tatsuya had said exactly what they were thinking.

"Kise-kun is amazing," Kuroko said.

The quarter continued and, with Kise's ability to copy the CCHS players, Kaijo tied up the game just as the buzzer ended the half.

Both teams walked off the court, panting as they did so. At the CCHS locker room, they took a moment to catch their breaths before going over the first half. Ronnie was on his own, sitting against the lockers. He tightly gripped a water bottle, frustrated that Kise had overpowered him. He could copy Oliver's release and he used Snart's Freeze Dribble. The movements being used by Kise flashed in his mind as he thought about them and the more he thought about them the more frustrated he got.

"Dammit," he muttered.

Coach Stein, meanwhile, watched Ronnie with concern. He knew Ronnie's abilities were limited, so he understood that Ronnie would feel frustrated. Before he could say anything to him, Coach Wells cleared his throat to begin the team meeting.

"You're doing well. We were all thrown for a loop when Ryouta copied Oliver and Snart, but now that we know he can, we can defend him accordingly."

Wells the turned to Stein. "Anything to add?"

Stein adjusted his glasses and turned to the whole team. "Harrison is correct. Now's our chance."

The team began to clap enthusiastically, ready to keep playing. Barry then jumped to his feet to address the team.

"Let's keep our winning streak going. Let's show these guys just how strong we are!"

The team began to get hyped up and were ready to keep playing. Barry then glanced towards Ronnie, who was still sitting against the locker. Despite trying to not show it, his frustration was taken over by the drive to win.

Ronnie gave Barry a simple nod, which he returned. He could then hear footsteps walking towards him. He looked up to see Coach Stein standing over him.

"How are you feeling, Ronald?"

"Fine," he said standing. "ready to win."

At the same time, in Kaijo's locker room, the team was forming a strategy on how to defeat CCHS. They had decided that Kise was to continue guarding Ronnie, something he was not opposed to, while the others would assist in letting their ace score. After all the planning was done, the Kaijo player took some time to rest before the second half. Kise sat by himself, clutching a water bottle in his hands. In his mind played replays of the all the moves he had seen over the course of three games.

"Right to left and back crossover," he murmured, while mimicking the movement with his hands. "Strong dribble going back."

"He's doing it again," Kobori said glancing over towards Kise.

"Let him. It's the only way he can copy them, by replaying and mimicking their movements," Kasamatsu explained.

"Fast release." Kise then launched the water bottle he was holding in a straight line. The bottle bounced off the wall and into a trash can.

Kobori and Kasamatsu blinked in surprise, before turning back to Kise.

"Not bad. You really got their moves down," Kasamatsu said.

Kise nodded. "But I still can't copy the guy guarding me. It's not the same thing that prevents me from copying Ryuto, it's different."

"Different how?" Kasamatsu asked raising an eyebrow and tilting his head to the side.

"It's as if that isn't his play style."

"That doesn't make sense."

Before Kise could respond, their coach walking back into the locker room and said to get ready as halftime was about to end. The team huddled together and hyped themselves up for the next two quarters.

When both teams walked onto the court, the were met with loud applause from all the spectators. The teams bench players sat down, while the five starters took to the court. Ronnie and Kise turned towards each other and stared each other down. Suddenly, Ronnie's eyes let out a flash of deep crimson. Kise blinked in surprise and let out a sharp gasp.

"What's wrong?" Kasamatsu asked, turning towards him.

Kise glanced towards him before turning back to Ronnie, who had turned away from him. Kise turned back towards Kasamatsu. "Nothing, I thought I saw something."

The buzzer sounded again and the teams got ready to play. CCHS inbounded the ball and set up for offense.

Up in the stands, Ryuto stared intently at both Ronnie and Kise, so much so he rarely blinked. He had seen Kise's surprised expression, but he could not see what he was reacting to. He wondered what Kise had seen in Ronnie to bring about such surprise. He was broken from his stare when the sound of the ball swishing into the hoop. He moved his gaze towards the shooter and saw Ronnie landing after sinking a three. He could see the joyous smile that was plastered in his face. He looked closely at Ronnie's face and saw a spark of deep crimson. Despite being in the stands, he could see it clearly. His eyes sparked again and Ryuto's eyes widened, he now knew just what Kise had seen.

 _That's impossible. If anyone on that team can unlock the Zone, it would be Barry, not Ronnie._

Back on the court, Kise scored a three after using the copied release from Oliver; keeping the score tied. The quarter continued to be a back an forth with each team scoring on their offensive possessions. Both teams knew that whoever stopped the other from scoring would take control of the game moving forwards. Every time someone from CCHS scored, another from Kaijo would score right back. On an inbound, Cisco slowly dribbled the ball down the court using the time to catch his breath. He quickly scanned the opponents defense, despite the fast-paced quarter Kaijo still seemed to be going at 100%. He glanced towards Kise, so far he had only copied Oliver and Snart, not any of the others. Kise shifted his gaze towards Cisco and closely watched him.

Cisco then passed over the half-court line and, suddenly, felt the pressure of Kaijo's defense. Kasamatsu had moved to defend him and Cisco could not get through. He saw Ronnie break away from Kise and called out for a pass. Cisco adjusted himself to pass, but his vision shifted. He saw Kise stealing the ball and scoring. On the other side of the court, he could see Oliver doing the same thing.

Cisco's vision returned to normal and he quickly adjusted his body and stopped his pass to Ronnie. He then crossed over and sent a pass towards Oliver.

He quickly set up fro a jump shot, far away from the three-point line; almost at half court. Oliver jumped and released. The ball sailed in a straight line, bounced off the back board, and into the hoop. Oliver then turned his attention towards Kise. He held up his hand and pointed at him.

"You see that?" Oliver asked. Then, using his thumb, he pointed at himself. "I'm the original. As close as your copy is, it's nothing like mine."

Kise smirked, but it was quickly followed by a dumbfounded expression; he clearly did not understand what Oliver had said to him. Kasamatsu face palmed as he walked towards Kise. Kise turned towards his captain, but was met with a jab to the stomach causing him to wince in pain.

"You could at least pretend you knew what he was saying," Kasamatsu yelled.

"I did know what he was saying, even if I didn't understand it," Kise responded.

"Huh?"

Kasamtsu looked towards Kise, the smirk he had returned and eyes glowed a golden color. "You're going to use it soon?"

"Maybe if things get more interesting," Kise said not facing Kasamatsu.

Kasamatsu followed Kise's gaze and noticed it landed on Ronnie. I wonder what he sees in him.

"Guys, come on! We have to inbound the ball!" Moriyama called out.

Kasamatsu nodded. "Let's finish this."

Kise nodded and the two Kaijo players got ready to play offense. Kasamatsu dribbled the ball down the court at a slow pace. He glanced at all his players, all of them were being closely guarded. Cisco moved closer to defend him and he got in position to defend the ball.

"Your ability doesn't work on defense, right?" Kasamatsu asked Cisco in English.

Cisco did not respond; his brows simply came together in frustration.

"Just so you know, I'm not only a point guard."

Kasamatsu then began to quicken the pace of his dribbling. Cisco adjusted his stance to defend, but in that instant Kasamatsu dribbled the ball in between Cisco's legs and charged towards the basket. Cisco turned back, with a surprised expression, he saw Diggle moving to stop his advance. He then stopped his dribble and motioned to pass. Diggle shifted his body to stop the pass, but Kasamatsu faked the pass and jumped up, scoring a lay up.

On CCHS's bench, Wells rapidly clicked his pen in frustration. He had told the team that Kaijo was not just Kise. He had told them that Kaijo was one of the more well-balanced teams. Seeing how Kasamatsu scored proved his point.

"Allen," he said not facing him. Barry turned his attention to his coach. "Get warmed up, you might go in soon."

Barry nodded and took off his practice shirt. Wells watched out of the corner of his eye as Barry stretched behind the bench. He turned back towards the court to see Oliver scoring a three. He then glanced towards the scoreboard; 60-63, CCHS was in the lead, a minute and a half left in the quarter. Wells stopped clicking his pen and put in his pocket. He turned towards the bench and picked up his clipboard. He looked over the teams current stats, everyone was performing at almost 100%. He glanced at Ronnie's stats, he was the closest to being at 100. Wells looked up from the clipboard towards Ronnie. He was surprised to see him with the widest smile on his face. He knew Ronnie loved basketball, but he did not know he loved it as much as he was expressing.

Wells then caught a flash of crimson form his eyes. His eyes widened in surprise, but he managed to compose himself quickly. He adjusted his glasses and placed the clipboard on the bench. He glanced back towards Barry, who was still warming up, he did not have the heart to tell him that he was not going play. He sat on the bench and continued to watch the game.

Stein, out of the corner of his eye, could Well's facial expression was different than it usually was. He was not calm and collected as always, he seemed startled. "Is everything alright, Harrison?"

"Yes, everything's fine," Wells said not facing him.

"What about Mr. Allen?"

Wells did not respond. Stein got a look of Wells' expression again and got the answer to his question. Stein simply nodded and turned back towards the court.

Cisco glanced at the scoreboard as he dribbled the ball down the court, thirty seconds left and the game was tied at 70. He turned back towards the game and got ready to play out the final seconds of the quarter. He got a look at the shot clock, he had twenty seconds to make a move. He could see Kasamatsu twitch waiting for Cisco to do something. Cisco then stopped his dribble and sent a pass towards Ronnie.

Ronnie got into a triple threat position, while Kise got into a defensive stance. "This next shot might just decide the game," Ronnie said.

"There's still another quarter left," Kise responded in really bad English.

Ronnie ignored the Kise's accent and focused on what he had said, it brought a smile to his face. "Let's go."

Ronnie began to dribble the ball, Kise watched closely taking note of his movements.

Right, left crossover. Kise watched as Ronnie did the crossover. Back to right. In the moment Ronnie brought the ball back to his right hand, Kise slapped it out of his hands. Kasamastu caught the loose ball and dribbled down the court. Cisco managed to get ahead of him and slowed his advance. Kasamatsu then charged left, but quickly spun around Cisco. He then set up for a three, but as he released Oliver swatted the ball down to the floor. As he landed, Kise picked up the ball and dribbled towards the basket. As he jumped for a lay up, Ronnie appeared and blocked the shot. Kise glanced towards Ronnie, and saw the flash of red crimson again. The ball then rolled out of bounds and the clock stopped with two seconds left on the clock. Kise and Ronnie looked at each other, each with their own sense of determination. Ronnie's eyes sparked again, and Kise readied himself for what might come next.

In Ronnie's own mind, he felt himself falling. Drowning was the more apt word as he sunk in a dark, empty ocean. He could feel himself sink to the bottom and in front of him was a door. The door was a plain, rusted steel door. Ronnie placed his hand on it and it creaked open slightly. Ronnie quickly retracted his hand from it and stared at the door. From the slightly opened door, a light shined through it. The light called to him, wanting him to finish opening the door. He placed his hand on the door and started to push. The door was heavy, he needed more strength.

Ronnie returned to the game as Cisco tapped his shoulder. Ronnie turned back towards his friend.

"You alright? You looked spaced out," Cisco asked.

"Just fine," Ronnie said. He turned his head towards the score board and saw that two seconds remained in the quarter. "Let's finish this quarter."

Cisco nodded and the two got ready for the inbound.

Moriyama stood on the out of bounds waiting for the referee to give him the ball. Anxiousness filled the air, everyone was on the edge of their seats; the next possession would decide the quarter.

In the stands, Ryuto's sweat dropped. Not even he could discern what was going to happen next.

The referee blew his whistle and gave the ball to Moriyama. Players began to scurry about, Kaijo players trying to break their marks and CCHS players keeping up their defense. Moriyama then found his opening and passed it to Kasamatsu. Kasamatsu grabbed the ball for a split second and passed it to Kise. Kise then brought the ball to his side, holding the ball in an odd manner. Ronnie jumped to block it, but found as Kise released the ball seemed to go through his hand.

The buzzer rang as the ball sailed through the air, and everyone watched with anticipation. The ball then swished through the hoop, Kise scored a three pointer, tying the game. The crowd exploded in cheers, finding themselves cheering for both teams. With Seirin, all their jaws hung open, they knew what Kise had done.

"He used Perfect Copy," Hyuga said in a surprised tone.

"He combined Kuroko's Phantom Shot with Midorima's three," Izuki added.

"He saved Perfect Copy for the last second of the quarter, and they still have another quarter to play," Ryuto said.

"What will happen now?" Tatsuya asked.

No one responded, what had just played out was like if it was the final point of the fourth quarter. Both teams sat on their benches catching their breaths, and taking long sips of water. Those sitting next to Ronnie felt as if steam was coming off him, but were more offset by the smile he had on his face.

"It's the fourth quarter. I'm going to play a full game," he muttered.

"Is he okay?" Oliver asked.

Cisco shrugged. "I don't know what he's saying."

"Raymond."

Ronnie's head shot up at his name being called. He saw Coach Wells standing in front of him.

"Are you feeling alright? This is the first time you've played three quarters."

Ronnie shot up from the bench, his hands clenched into fists. "Let me finish this game! I don't want to be benched just yet!" His eyes flashed again, this time a bright orange color.

Wells kept his surprise in check, and nodded in response. "Okay, but as soon as I see anything happen to you I'm pulling you out."

Ronnie nodded in response and walked onto the court. "Hey, wait for the rest of us!" Cisco called out.

"What's the game plan coach?" Diggle asked wiping his hands on his pants.

Wells turned towards Ronnie, who stood alone on the court waiting for the other four. "Give the ball to Ronnie. He'll finish the game."

Diggle, and the other four players nodded. As they walked onto the court, Snart tapped Cisco's shoulder to get his attention.

"Are we sure that's the best idea?" Snart asked crossing his arms.

"It's the coach's play, who am I to question it?" Cisco said pushing his hair back.

As Kaijo walked onto the court, Kasamatsu and Kise were talking about the shot Kise had taken.

"You used Perfect Copy there, I didn't know you were going to."

"I had to," Kise said shifting his gaze towards Ronnie, "It was the only way to make sure he didn't block the shot."

Kasamatsu nodded and got ready to inbound the ball, as Kaijo had possession of it. As Kise set up for offense, Ronnie stood in front of him. Kise got a look at Ronnie and saw that his hair seemed to cover his eyes, but he could hear that he was breathing hard. He inferred the quickness of the third quarter tired him out. When the referee blew his whistle, Kise snapped his attention back to the game. Kasamatsu caught the inbound and dribbled to the three point line. He then passed to Kise, who received it without any defense from Ronnie. He saw Ronnie get into a defensive stance, muttering something under his breath. Kise got into an attacking position and drove to the basket. Ronnie defended him, but it was a weak defense and Kise easily broke past him.

 _What's up with him?_ Kise thought.

Kise scored an easy lay up, which put Kaijo ahead at the start of the final quarter. As Kise jogged past Ronnie, he felt an odd sensation coming off him. He turned back, but got an unreadable expression from him.

"I'm playing in the final quarter. I've never done that before," Ronnie muttered.

In his head, he finished pushing the rusty door and he was bathed in light. Ronnie smiled and stepped into the light. He was bathed in it and he could feel himself getting stronger just by standing in it. Back on the court, Ronnie looked up and his eyes sparked an orange color. He turned towards the inbound and asked for the pass. Cisco nodded and gave the ball to Ronnie.

Up in the stands, Ryuto shot up from his seat, startling those around him. His eyes went wide and his jaw hung open. "No way, he's in."

"What do you mean he's in?" Kiyoshi asked.

Kagami was the first to pick up on Ryuto's words and turned his gaze towards Ronnie. His eyes also went wide. "Zone?"

On the court, everyone saw the glowing orange lightning coming from Ronnie's eyes. Each dribble he took felt as if the court was being super heated.

"He's in the Zone," Kasamatsu said, astonished.

Kise moved, ready to defend him, but in an instant Ronnie avoided his defense. Kise turned back to see Ronnie avoiding another defender. Ronnie then jumped over Hayakawa and dunked the ball. As he landed, the lightning solidified as it came out of his eyes.

All eyes were on Ronnie as he walked down the court. His teammates looked on in surprise, as did the Kaijo players. In the stands, Aomine and Seijūrō had shot up from their seats, each with different expressions. Aomine's was of pure excitement, while Seijūrō was frustrated that he had tried to bring out the Zone from the wrong person.

As Ronnie made it to the three-point line on the other half of the court, a ball swished into the hoop. Ronnie's eyes widened in surprise and when he turned back he saw Kise, his yellow eyes glowed with a bright yellow ring. In that moment nothing else mattered, for Ronnie it was now a match between him and Kise.

"If you're going to being out your strongest weapon, might as well use mine," Kise said, smiling.

"I wouldn't have it any other way."

Then began the battle of Zone versus Perfect Copy. Ronnie's newfound skills shined as Kise would counter with moves belonging to the Generation of Miracles. Each shot Kise made, Ronnie would score right back. Whenever Ronnie blocked one of Kise's shots, Kise would do the same back.

Everyone watched the blonde ace and the fire starter, as Ronnie was being called, go at it. Each player was giving it 100%. The score was an even 90, with five minutes on the clock, and that was only because Ronnie picked up that he had to stop the three point shots that sailed high in the air.

Meanwhile, in the stands, Ryuto would make observations on how Ronnie was playing better than usual.

"Is it just me, or did it get really hot in here?" Koga asked tugging his shirt collar. Everyone ignored the comment and continued to talk about that game.

"It looks like number 8 is really giving it all he's got," Kiyoshi said.

"That may be true, but Kise-chin's going to win," Murasakibara replied as he munched on another candy bar.

"What do you mean?" Hyuga asked turing towards the Purple Giant.

"The Zone takes a toll on everyone no matter how used to it you are. As for Ronnie, since it's his first time using it, it won't be long until he starts to feel its effects," Ryuto answered.

"And because it's his first time, when he runs out Kise will likely still be able to use Perfect Copy," Tatsuya added.

Back in the court, Kise used Seijūrō's Emperor Eye to ankle break Ronnie. He then set up for a three and released. The ball sailed in a high arc before swishing into the hoop. Kise turned away from Ronnie, who was struggling to stand up again.

"The Zone's taken a toll on you. It won't be long until you're done. It does surprise me you've lasted this long."

Ronnie punched the ground in frustration, and he was still struggling to stand. He then felt someone tug on his arm, helping him stand. He looked to the side to see Cisco helping him stand. When he got his footing, he thanks Cisco for helping him.

"Dude, I know how badly you want to win, but you need a break. The Zone's taking a lot out of you. Don't get me wrong, it's awesome that you unlocked it, but be careful."

Ronnie turned away from Cisco, the words he had said to Barry the previous day were ringing in his mind. "No, I want to finish this game. I want to prove I'm strong."

Before Cisco could respond, he began to jog towards offense. Cisco let out a sigh and placed his hand behind his neck. He began to soothe it as it felt like he was burned. Cisco shook his head and got back into the game, he too wanted to finish it.

At the three-minute mark, every part of Ronnie's body hurt. His muscles ached, he could barely feel his legs, yet he was still running, and he was having trouble breathing. The Zone had taken a toll on his body, even more so than he was expecting. When Coach Wells called a time out he silently thanked him. When he sat down on the bench he did not want to get up. He could feel the Zone fading away and the more he used it to stop Kise the quicker it would fade. He took a long sip of water, as soon as he stopped to take a breath, he would begin to pant loudly.

Coach Wells stared at his exhausted players, especially Ronnie. He knew if he put in fresh players they could turn the tide of the game, however, the players he had in the game likely wanted to finish it. The only player he knew he had to sub out was Ronnie. The Zone had taken a toll on him him and it was only through sheer adrenalin that he was able to stand. Wells let out a sigh, he knew what he had to do.

"Raymond-"

"I know what you're going to say, and no I won't sit out. I want to finish this game, no, I need to finish it," Ronnie said cutting off the coach.

Jay shot up from where he was sitting, ignoring the pain that was in his legs. He was frustrated the winning clouded Ronnie's judgement, just like it did his. "Hold a sec and think, Ronnie. You're using the Zone, something that is only supposed to last about five minutes. You're going to make it last ten?"

"I have to. If we want to win, I have to do it."

"We saw a video of Ryuto using the Zone for a whole quarter he had to sit out until the last few minutes of the game. Even though he's used to pushing himself and getting stronger, we could all see he mastered his Zone. You just unlocked it, that means you're putting your body at risk. Even if we win, is it worth putting your body on the line?"

Ronnie did not hesitate with his answered. "Yes" Everyone was silent, even Jay could not find a response. However, they all the look in Ronnie's eyes, he wanted to win.

On Kaijo's bench, they could hear that there was an argument going on within the CCHS team. Kise largely ignored it, he was more focused on finding a way to win.

"How's your ankle?" Kasamatsu asked.

Kise looked towards his captin. He held a water bottle in his hand, and Kise noticed how tightly he was holding it.

"Captain-"

"I know what you're going to say, I don't care that we're relying on you. You're our ace, it's only natural to count on them when a team is in a tight spot." Kasamatsu said cutting Kise off.

Kise watched as he Kasamatsu stood up, he then turned towards Kise with a calm look on his face. "Now come on, we got to win this thing."

Kise nodded and the glow to his eyes returned again. He stood up and followed his captain onto the court. He turned towards the CCHS and got a look at Ronnie. The orange lightning was still in his eyes, but it clear that it was fading.

Up in the stands, Ryuto looked towards his friend with a concerned look. He was worried about what would happen to his body if he kept pushing himself while in the Zone. There were three minutes left and anything could happen in those three minutes.

"That number 8, if he keeps pushing himself like this it could mean the end of his basketball career," Riko said.

"How long have you been only watching him for?" Ryuto asked.

"Since he went into the Zone."

"Will it be worse than what happened to me?"

"I'm not sure."

Ryuto let out a sigh and turned towards the court, as the game had already resumed.

Kise dribbled the ball and watched as Ronnie got into a defensive stance. Kise then did a quick crossover and avoided Ronnie's defense. Snart and Diggle moved to stop his advance, but Kise came to a complete stop and jumped back for a fade away. Diggle jumped to block the shot, but Kise released the ball almost parallel to the ground. Diggle watched with wide eyes as the ball sailed over his hand and bounced off the back board into the hoop.

Ronnie panted hard, he was having trouble keeping up with Kise's constant changes in speed. He wiped his forehead of his sweat before jogging to defense. His teammates looked at him with concern as Ronnie was slowing down.

"He's not going to last another second. More so these last few minutes," Sanrt said.

"I'm more surprised Ryouta has lasted this long using Perfect Copy. It wasn't meant to last this long," Cisco added.

"Today had been full of surprises," Diggle concluded.

The four CCHS players nodded in agreement and prepared for offense.

On offense, Diggle caught a pass from Snart. As he went up to shoot, he felt as if Murasakibara was going to block his shot, but Kise swatted the ball away. Kobori caught the ball and threw it down the court, where Moriyama shot a three putting Kaijo ahead. The score was 100-96, CCHS was behind by four.

Cisco knew they had to change their offensive style, but he did not know if Kise could block Oliver's threes. He let out a breath and knew the gamble he had to take.

"Oliver!" Cisco called out.

Oliver turned towards the point guard and saw as he threw the ball towards him. Oliver moved to catch it, but Kasamatsu jumped and caught it.

"You guys are becoming predictable," Kasamatsu said. "Kise!"

Kasamatsu threw the ball down the court, to where Kise was running. Kise caught the ball and continued his attack to the basket. As he jumped for a lay up, Ronnie jumped from behind him, intent on stopping his shot. The two teens collided in the air, and the referee blew his whistle, but before they landed Kise brought then ball behind him and flicked form behind his back. Then ball bounced off the rim and spun in the hoop for a few second until it fell into the hoop. The referee blew his whistle and counted the basket.

Kise turned towards Ronnie, he knew simply running down the court caused him to use up a lot of stamina. Yet he managed to exert himself even more despite how tired he was.

Ronnie looked up to face Kise. He could see the golden ring in his eyes were still glowing, he had energy to spare. Meanwhile, he was struggling to hold to what little Zone he had left.

"You've played hard," Kise said.

The words made Ronnie focus on the blonde.

"You don't need to injure yourself to win, trust me I know how that feels. But you have to understand, what you're doing right now is only going to hurt you."

Ronnie clenched his fists and gritted his teeth in frustration. He was tired of people telling him those words. "What do you know about me? I've practiced day in and day out to be at the same level as my teammates. I'm not good at basketball, but I've practiced to get to where I am. Using the Zone is proof that I've made it to their level. I'm not like them, or you. I don't have special skills, I just have my skills and those that my coach has taught me. So, I'm going to finish this game even if it means never playing basketball again!"

The once fading Zone, had returned to Ronnie's eyes. But instead of lightning, the lightning turned into flames.

Kise took a step back, he could feel the heat that radiated from him. Kise could feel the intense determination coming from him and he could not help but smile.

"Right, I'll give you the game you want."

Up in the stands, Ryuto was taken aback by what Ronnie had said. He never knew that his friend felt so inferior. It saddened him that he did not know his friend as well as he thought he did. He took a glance at the score board, Kise had made his free throw and the score was 103-96. It's now or never for them, Ryuto thought.

The final minute of the game was played at a fast pace, but despite that both teams were unable to score. Every time someone went for a shot, it was blocked or the ball was stolen after a pass. Cisco's Vibes were not activating due to the quickness of the pace so he could not correct himself. Coach Wells would yell from the bench to slow the game down, but no one was listening. With thirty seconds left, both teams panted with their hands on their knees. It was evident that they were at their limits and it would be a danger to their bodies if they continued.

A whistle was then heard and all the players looked up.

"Timeout, Kaijo!"

Both teams let out a relieved sigh and sat down on their benches. There was no need to go over strategy this timeout was only for the players to rest. Before hand, both Wells and Takeuchi, Kaijo's coach, looked at each other knowing their players needed a break. As soon as Kaijo's timeout ended, Coach Wells called one right after for another minute break.

 _You guys need this_ , Coach Wells thought. _All of you do._

When the timeouts ended, both teams walked onto the court to finish the game. The winner would be decided in the next thirty seconds and both teams knew that. CCHS inbounded the ball and they wasted no time in setting up for offense. They had to score seven points to tie it, eight to take the lead. Cisco passed towards Oliver, but was cut off again by Kasamatsu.

"I told you, you've become predictable," Kasamatsu said.

He then threw the ball down the court towards Kise, but Ronnie appeared in front of him and caught the pass. When he landed he immediately started to dribble towards the basket. Kise managed to overtake him and stop his advance. Using his copied Emperor Eye he saw that Ronnie was about to pass towards Snart and before he could, he jabbed at the ball causing it come loose. Moriyama picked up the ball and started to dribble down the court, as he jumped for a lay up, Diggle blocked the shot. The ball rolled towards the half court line and Snart picked it up. He froze Kobori with his crossover and attacked the basket. Snart then jumped and scored a lay up. He turned towards the scoreboard, there 8 seconds left not enough to score what they needed.

He then saw the ball sail into the air. Snart turned back to see that Kise had released a high-projectile three. CCHS looked up in horror as the buzzer sounded with the ball still flying. The ball swished into the net and the referee counted the shot. Ronnie fell to his knees in defeat and pain.

All his hard work was for a loss.

CCHS hung their heads in defeat as Kaijo held there's up high.

In the stands everyone cheered at the fact a local team had won, while Seirin plus Tatsuya and Mursakibara were taken aback. They did not anticipate the outcome. Murasakibara had said that CCHS was going to lose, but he did not believe himself when he said it.

"They lost," Ryuto said.

 **AN: Not expecting that ending, right? Choosing that ending was one of the toughest decisions I had to make. I wanted CCHS to loose at least once, and against playing against Kaijo seemed to be the best way to do it. It's all there as to why CCHS lost and why I decided for the to happen, but if you need more clarification on that aspect, write it in the reviews or PM me. I'm sure you guys weren't expecting for Ronnie to use the Zone either. Ronnie's powers were the toughest to translate from the show to this story. How does being a being made of fire translate to basketball? Well it doesn't, so I had the Ronnie copies Stein's old pro style and other things that he's seen.**

 **Back to Kaijo. For me Kaijo is my favorite team and Kasamatsu is one of my favorite characters(alongside Takao). I had Kaijo win, because I thought they had the most growth out of all the teams in the show and I wanted to reflect that growth in this game.**

 **With all that out of the way, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Remember to follow, favorite, and/or review. Stay tuned for the next one, which will be a short one as it will deal with the fallout of this game.**


	11. OP and ED

Voices From the Past Opening

D-tecnolife by UVERWorld

 _Ienai itami kanashimi de kizu tsuita kimi yo_

 _Kesenai kako mo seoi atte ikou ikiru koto wo nage dasanai de_

(A basketball court is illuminated and on the opposite ends stand Barry and Ryuto facing away from each. As the camera spins around them, it closes in on the two with a line dividing them. Barry turns towards Ryuto, with all the CCHS players next to him. Ryuto has yet to turn.)

 _Tsunaida kimi no te wo_

(The Kuroko no Basket logo blurs onto the screen. As the music plays, the members of the Generation of Micales flash on screen.)

 _Itsuka ushinatte shimau no kana_

 _Usurete yuku egao to kimi wo mamoritai kara_

(CCHS puts on their basketball uniforms. Cut to a shot of Barry closing his locker and a picture is seen inside it of the middle school team. Cut to Barry as he hangs his head and walks out of the locker room.)

 _Hibiku boku wo yobu koe sae kare_

 _Toki ni sou kaze ni kaki kesaretatte_

 _Kimi wo mitsuke dasu_

(The screen flashes and Barry, Cisco, Oliver, Snart, and Diggle stand on a court with Rakuzan in front of them. Akashi ankle breaks Cisco and avoids Diggle to score a lay up. He lands and the Zone flickers in his eyes. Barry looks at him with a determined face and readies himself to attack.)

 _Ienai itami kanashimi de kizu tsuita kimi_

 _mou waraenai nante hito girai nante kotoba sou iwanai de_

(The action cuts to a match against Yosen, where Cater, Mick, and Jay all face off against Murasakibara. Jay passes the ball to carter, who passes it to Mick. Mick the jumps for a lay up and Murasakibara blocks it. The loose ball lands in Kise's hands where Ronnie is there to defend.

 _Mienai mirai ni okoru koto subete ni imi ga aru kara_

 _ima wa sono mama de ii kitto kizukeru toki ga kuru darou_

(Kise attacks, but when Ronnie stops his advance he passes it to Midorima. Modorima sets up for a shot, but Oliver jumps to block it.)

 _You and me_

 _Two are spoken_

(The ball sails into the hoop and in front of Kuroko. Kuroko charges up an Ignite Pass Kai and the ball is jetted towards Kagami. Snart tries to stop Kagami, but is unable to.

 _Itsuka wakari aeru kara_

(Return to the shot of CCHS plus Ryuto on the court. Ryuto turns towards Barry with Seirin at his side. Ryuto catches a ball and the game starts.)

Voices From The Past Ending

Hatsunetsu by tacica

(As the music starts, an airplane flies through the air, but it is far away. A boy stands in fenced basketball court and grips the fence. He is looking down at the floor. Cut to a look at the boy's face, revealing Barry as tears are forming in his eyes.)

 _Nanimono demo nai mono_

 _Me wo hikaraseta_

 _Tada no hitori yogari datte ii sa yoru no mono_

(Cut to a shot of the Central City Middle School team winning their last championship. Cut to a close up on Barry's smiling face as he looks at his teammates. Cut to Ryuto placing a hand on his head then removing it.)

 _Hoshi hitotsu nai sora demo te wo sashidase yo_

 _Kuru ka konai ka wa betsu no bokura no negai_

(Barry watches as Ryuto walks away and holds out his arm to catch him. Ryuto vanishes from his view and his arms falls to his side. Barry turns and his location changes to a basketball court where he stands with CCHS team.)

 _Sou da kokyuu mo kodou mo futatsu to nai sekai de no koto_

(Barry clenches his fist and prepares for the game. His teammates give him an acknowledging nod as they get into game stances.)

 _Itsumo iro no nai butai ni tatte_

 _Nao sono oku de dare mo mita koto no nai asahi wo matteru_

 _Tohou ni kurete kasureta mama_

 _Jibun ni fureru_

(The scene shifts to a hallway where the CCHS team walks in what looks like slow motion. The camera focuses on Cisco, Oliver, Diggle, Snart, Jay, and Ronnie. Each of them with their own expressions of determination.)

 _Sonna namae no nai sekai ni datte_

 _Mada sono naka de itsuka mita hikari ni nita asahi wo mattete_

 _Mou kaeranai hi wo ikiru akashi ni_

 _Jibun ni fureru_

(Kaijo, Shutoku, Rakuzan, Tōō, and Yosen teams walks down a hallway, showcasing their starting five members with a member of the Generation of Mircales in front of the other players in the same slow motion style. Cut to a shot of the five starting CCHS players all standing in front of a member of the Generation of Miracles. Cut to Ryuto walking towards the Seirin team then turns to face off against CCHS. Both teams get into positions to play as the song finishes.)

 **AN: So here's a small fun thing I made for the story. I said awhile back I would do it and here it is, an op and ed for Voices From The Past. I picked those two songs, because they're one of my favorite op and ed songs from their respective shows and thought it would be a good use them for this. I didn't pick a GRANRODEO song for the op because I could not find a good one to use. I hope you like this fun side project and stay tuned for the next chapter. Remember, I do not own the songs used, KnB, or The Flash.**


	12. Chapter 11

**AN: Here is chapter 11! Sorry for making you guys wait so long. I you enjoy this one too. Remember, I do NOT own KnB of The Flash. I only own my character and the plot.**

Chapter 11

Fallout

Ronnie watched as Kise set up for his shot. He could not move, his legs would not. His Zone had faded, all his power was gone. He could see the shocked expression on his teammates faces. When the ball passed over him, he did not bother to watch where it landed. He heard the buzzer ring. When it ended the sound rang in his ears and it was canceled out with the swish of the net. He then buckled under his own weight and crashed onto the floor. He blocked out the screaming crowd and the opponents cheers. He felt his eyes get misty, then the tears began to fall. He hunched over and buried his face in his arms.

"Dammit," he said in between tears.

His teammates on the court watched him with saddened expression, they did not know what to say to him.

Meanwhile, Kise could see Ronnie on the floor out of the corner of his eye. He empathized with the foreigner. He had given his all in the match and he could not claim victory. Kise took a deep breath and walked towards Ronnie.

The CCHS players tensed up at the sight of him, but calmed down when they saw him sit next to Ronnie.

"I know how you feel. It's happened to me twice and it hurt every time," Kise said.

Ronnie turned his head towards Kise, his eye puffed up and red form his crying.

Kise gave him a smile. "But even with those two loses, I still bounce back and give it my all the next game."

Before the two could respond, he referee blew his whistle for both teams to line up. Kise stood up and extended his hand towards Ronnie.

Ronnie took the blondes hand and he assisted him in standing. Ronnie could barely feel his legs and stumbled as he took a step. Diggle and Cisco rushed to his side and supported him as they walked towards the center of the court. Both teams lined and bowed, thanking each other for the game. The players shook hands with who they had in front, Ronnie shook Kise's. They nodded towards each other, acknowledging their skills, and walked towards their benches.

When Ronnie got back to the bench, he sat down and let out a breath. He could see Felicity and Coach Stein arrive with a wheelchair for him to sit and not walk. He looked towards Coach Wells, who nodded.

"There's a nurse on site an they've agreed to see you. I'm sure we'll have to visit the hospital though," Coach Wells explained.

Ronnie nodded and was helped onto the wheel chair. CCHS then walked off the court, they had yet to say anything about the game.

At Kaijo's bench, Kise watched as Ronnie exited the court. He silently hoped he would be alright and that nothing too serious had happened to him.

"Do you think he'll bounce back?" Kasamatsu asked Kise, who stood next to him.

Kise shrugged. "Don't know. He's tougher than he looks though. That's for sure."

Kasamatsu nodded and led Kaijo off the court.

—

The nurse at the court did not have the instruments to give a good assessment of Ronnie's injuries. The best the nurse could do was say to ice his legs and to not walk. The nurse had said that the usual doctor stationed at basketball events was unavailable for the game, but that he was at a hospital in the Minato district in Tokyo and that his name was Igaku Ishi.

Ronnie looked towards Stein, who seemed to know who he was.

Stein thanked the nurse and the two exited the room. As they walked down the hallway towards the locker room, Felicity caught up to them. She had been waiting at the door, but was distracted by the notes she had written from the game.

"What did the nurse say?" she asked.

"We have to find a doctor named Igaku Ishi," Stein answered.

"So we don't have clue at what his injuries are?"

Ronnie and Stein nodded in unison.

"Great. So where do we find him?"

"Minato district," Ronnie answered.

"Where's that?"

"Tokyo."

Felicity rolled her eyes. "Thanks, Captain Obvious."

Ronnie let out a snicker.

Stein cleared his throat and got the two teens attention. "I know where he'll be. So there's no need to worry Ms. Smoak."

Felicity nodded and returned to her notes. When the three made it to the locker room, all the players shot up and turned towards Ronnie.

"Hey guys," Ronnie said with a wave.

"Oh, thank god you're alright," Cisco said letting out a relieved sigh.

As his teammates crowed around him, Wells and Stein moved to the corner of the locker room to talk privately.

"What did the nurse say?" Wells asked in a hushed voice.

Stein gave him the description of what the nurse had said, including seeing the doctor Igaku. Wells took off his glasses and let out a sigh. He knew the doctor and it would be likely that he would give them the diagnosis they need for Ronnie's injuries. He took a deep breath and put on his glasses.

"Can you take him to see Igaku? I want to do something with Oliver and Barry before the game," Wells said.

Stein nodded. "It'll be nice to see Igaku again."

"Say hi to him for me."

Stein nodded and Wells walked away from him. Wells then clapped his hands and got everyone's attention.

"No meeting tonight. When we get to the hotel, you're all free to get some rest. I mean that for those who played. You need the rest."

"Yes, coach!" the team said in unison.

Then CCHS exited the locker room and headed to their hotel.

—-

"Mind repeating yourself, doctor?" Ronnie asked with his eyes wide in disbelief.

Igaku let out a sigh pointed at the pictures on his wall. He went on to explain Ronnie's extensive list of injuries done to his legs. Because of his prolonged use of the Zone his legs had sustained incredible damage leading all the way to his bones. What kept him from feeling pain during the match was the sheer adrenalin pumping through him. Then came the last thing Ronnie wanted to hear. "Because of those injuries your basketball career is over. A lot of the damage done will take months to heal and when they do basketball will become a great source of pain. You won't be able to sprint short distances, your vertical jump will severally lower, and that's just the basics. I'm sorry kid, but you're time playing is done."

Ronnie only half listened to the doctors explanation. The words "your basketball career is over" replayed in his mind over and over. He could not believe that the power he had just gained caused him to get such an injury. Coach Stein did his best to comfort him but he did not listen to him. He looked down at his legs and he could feel the tears forming in his eyes. Just when he thought he had caught up to his teammates, he was knocked back to the ground; and this time it was permanent. Ronnie tightened his hand, which rested on his lap, into fists and his tears landed on on them.

"I'm so sorry, Ronald." He could heard Stein stay.

Then he felt an unfamiliar hand places on his shoulder. Ronnie looked up to see the doctors face smiling at him. He sniffled as his faced turned into a confused look.

"Here's the thing though, doing what you did is an incredible feat," Igaku said.

"I don't understand," Ronnie said in between sniffles.

"Kid, you managed to hold off a member of the Generation of Mircales while only just unlocking your Zone. That in it of its self is incredible." Igaku paused in order to give Ronnie a moment to process his words. "Not many can say they did that."

"But, I'm useless now. Just when I caught up with everyone too," Ronnie said, hanging his head.

"Look, Ronnie," Ronnie's head perked up at the mention of his name. As the doctor had referred to him as "kid" since he entered. "Being strong is the last thing one should focus in a team sport. Teamwork is always the most important thing."

Ronnie half smiled. "I know that."

"Ronnie, I had a similar career ending injury as you did. Because of that injury, I went into sports medicine in order to stop others from having the same fate as me. Seeing it happen to you makes me feel like I failed. However, I did watch your match, and that smile you had during the game was one I haven't seen in a long time."

Ronnie looked down, his tightened fists had loosened. The doctors words made him think about how he felt during the game and he was right. The match against Kaijo was the happiest he had ever been playing a game of basketball. He looked towards the doctor and smiled. "Thank you."

"I'm glad to see you smiling." Igaku said with his own smile. "Now, if you can wait outside for a moment, I need to talk with Mr. Stein in private."

Ronnie nodded and slowly stood up. Coach Stein grabbed his crutches and then assisted him by opening the door.

"There's a vending machine down the hall to your left, if you're hungry."

Ronnie nodded and started to go. Stein then closed the door and let out a sigh. "Thank you for making it easier for him."

"In my opinion, he shouldn't be using crutches at all. He should be in a wheelchair, but it would not help him emotionally if I told him that. Truth be told, his non-dominant leg is much less damaged than his dominant one," Igaku said turing to the pictures on his wall.

"I see," Stein said, adjusting his glasses.

"Martin, what were you thinking, allowing him to use the Zone for so long?"

"It was like you said, the smile he had was not something I wanted to take away," Stein said lowering his head.

"He was a good protege. I'm sorry that happened to him."

Stein nodded.

The two men had known each other for many years, but separated when Igaku returned to Japan. They caught each other up on their respective lives and jobs before returning to speaking about Ronnie.

"He reminds me of someone else I treated. He got a similar injury because of using the Zone. Though, it was early in his use of it," Igaku said staring up at the ceiling with his arms crossed.

"Did you now? What was his name, if you don't mind me asking?"

"Rishihara Ryuto."

Stein's eyes widened in surprise, something Igaku noticed. "Do you know him?"

"I coached him in middle school. He was a strong player back then, with an intense love for the sport," Stein explained.

"Interesting. It has been awhile since his injury, though his Zone is different than most people's."

"Different, how?" Stein asked as he leaned in.

"His Zone has a limited amount of uses and after the Winter Cup Final, I think he reached it. Though, why are you so curious?"

"It surprised me, so I wanted to know more."

The two were about to continue talking when Stein felt his phone buzz. He noticed a message from Wells and then noticed the time; he and Ronnie had to return to the hotel soon.

"I must be going. I need to prepare for the next match," Stein said standing.

"Of course, good luck," Igaku said outstretching his hand.

The two friends shook hands and Stein turned to leave. As he opened the the door, he stopped and turned back to Igaku. "Harrison sends his regards."

Igaku snickered. "Tell him I say hi as well."

Stein nodded and closed the door behind him as he exited the hospital room.

—

While Stein and Ronnie were at the hospital, Wells walked with Oliver and Barry through the city. As they walked, the two boys began to noticed how less crowded the area became. It came as a surprise to Barry as they were still in the city. He looked towards Coach Wells, he had been looking at his phone the entire walk. As they walked, the morning events played out in his head.

Everyone that had played in the match had yet to wake up and it was nearing noon. The only one's awake were Ronnie and Oliver. Ronnie was awake as he needed to go to the hospital and Oliver seemed half awake.

Barry was in his room, looking through his phone. He had gotten a lot of messages after their loss, something that was still hard for him to believe. He set his phone down and looked towards Jay, who was sitting at the hotel room's desk typing away at his lap top. Barry looked over his shoulder to see him typing an essay. Barry frowned at the sight. His cousin was doing homework.

"Really? You're doing homework," Barry said.

Jay turned back and smiled at his cousin. "Well yeah, this is due when we get back."

Barry sighed and sat on his bed. He looked over to Cisco, who was still asleep. His friend had more game time than he had, so it made sense that he was exhausted. His attention turned to the door when he heard a knock.

"Coming." Barry slid off the bed and walked towards the door.

He opened it and found Coach Wells and a half awake Oliver.

"Great, you're up. Get dressed in exercise clothes, you're coming with me and Oliver to meet someone."

The words Coach Wells said seemed to jolt Oliver awake. "Wait a second, why is he coming with us?"

"Because he needs to learn what you're going to learn as well. Now come on, we don't have a lot of time."

Barry nodded and closed the door.

"We're here."

Coach Wells's voice snapped Barry back to reality. They were in front of a building that was had kanji written on the wall in gold with the word gym under it. Barry managed read the kanji and said them aloud.

"Aida Sports Gym?"

"Wait, you can read that?" Oliver asked surprised.

Barry nodded. "I learned a bit before we came here. You should've tried learning some as well." Barry turned back to the building and then towards Coach Wells, who shoved his phone into his pocket. "I know someone with the name Aida, Ryuto's girlfriend. I think her name is Riko."

"That's his daughter, we're here to meet the owner," Wells said turning to the two boys.

"What's this about my daughter?" a voice said behind Wells.

The two boys looked to the side to see a man with red-brown hair and a small stubble growing on his chin, his facial expression was not one would consider friendly. He wore a simple black sweatshirt and grey sweatpants. He stared only at Wells, not giving the teens a glance.

"H-Hey, Kagetora, long time no see," Wells said.

 _Is our coach intimidated by this guy?_ The two teens thought.

"You better have a good reason for mentioning her, Harrison," Kagetora said.

"Actually, I mentioned her first," Barry said raising his hand.

Kagetora's furious eyes turned towards the American teen. Barry recoiled in fear, the man really was intimidating. Barry looked up to see the man standing over him.

"It's nice to know that my daughter is making friends with foreigners," Kagetora said with his expression changing from rage to happiness.

Barry and Oliver blinked in surprise, not expecting the sudden shift in personality. Kagetora's expression then changed to a more relaxed look as he let out a sigh. He placed his hands in his pockets and turned towards Wells.

"Why'd you bring the munchkins?" he asked.

Wells adjusted his glasses and cleared his throat. "I need you to teach them how to shoot."

Barry turned towards Oliver, who seemed offended by what their coach had just said. Meanwhile, Kagetora simply rose an eyebrow.

"Really? You want me to teach them to shoot when you have a match in several hours? You must be crazy," Kagetora said.

Oliver then stepped towards the adults. "I don't need anyone to teach me how to shoot. Especially not some old geezer." Oliver finished his sentence by pointing at Kagetora.

Kagetora turned towards the boy, his eyebrow still risen. Wells let out a sigh, and apologized to Kagetora on Oliver's behalf. He then turned towards Oliver.

"This 'old geezer' is one of the best shooters in Japan and dare I say the world. He represented Japan for their national team and-" Before Wells could finish, Kagetora raised his hand.

"Basically, I know a thing or two about shooting. Now come on, there's a court not too far from here," Kagetora said turning away.

The two teens nodded and followed the older man. When they arrived at the court, Kagetora ordered the two teens to play a one-on-one against each other. Before they started, Wells told them to not strain themselves. The two teens nodded and started to play as the two men watched. As they watched, the two men caught each other up on what was going on in their lives.

"How's Tess?" Kagetora asked, not taking his eyes off the two boys.

"Fine. She recently opened her research center. She spends most of her time there," Wells replied.

"Do you help her? If I remember correctly, you were really into science and the like."

Wells nodded. "When I have the time."

"Does the center have a name?"

"S.T.A.R Labs."

"Not bad. I'm assuming it's some type of acronym."

Wells nodded. He opened his mouth to say something, but Kagetora cut him off. "Don't say it. I probably won't understand it."

Wells snickered and nodded. "Alright then. How about you? How's your family?"

Kagetora let out a short laugh and smiled. "Watching my daughter grow up has been one of the best things in my life."

"I have yet to meet her. I'm assuming she's like you."

Kagetora let out a loud laugh. "She takes after her mother more than she does me."

Wells rolled his eyes. "Sure."

"What about you, do you have a kid?"

Wells nodded. "Yep, a daughter. She takes after her mother, as well."

Kagetora laughed again. "Another brain child."

Wells smiled. "She defiantly is."

The two watched the one-on-one a bit longer, as they each made comments about Barry and Oliver, until Kagetora told them to stop. He took a few moments to give the boys another look. He let out a breath and turned first towards Oliver. He explained to him that he would shoot a straight line because of how far back he would bring his release hand over his forehead.

"If you continue to shoot like that, someone will block you. Your shot isn't an arrow that can pierce anything, so be mindful of that."

Oliver was about to protest Kagetora's advice, but he stopped himself when he saw Coach Wells's glare. Oliver turned back to Kagetora and simply nodded.

"It won't be easy, but try to not bring your release past your forehead. Try to keep it in front of your forehead."

Oliver nodded again.

"Try doing that, on the other side of the court," Kagetora said, using his thumb to point. "Harrison, go with him and to correct him."

Wells nodded. "Come on, Oliver."

As Oliver jogged to the other side of the court, Kagetora turned to Barry. He let out a sigh before addressing him.

"To be honest, all you really need to improve on is your self confidence. Harrison told me you greatly admire Ryuto and you always compare yourself to him."

Barry gave an embarrassed smile and nodded.

"You're not going to beat him if you think like that," Kagetora said bluntly.

Barry's eyes widened. What Kagetora had said struck a nerve and he noticed.

"Look, it's fine to admire someone. One of my daughters friends is a big admirer of Ray Allen, but he doesn't let that get in the way of playing. He's never thinking 'What would Ray Allen do?' or 'How would Ray Allen shoot in this situation.' That's what you have to learn: not letting Ryuto cloud up your mind."

Barry clenched his fists in frustration. He knew that was something he had to break free from, but how could he. Ryuto taught him to love the sport and told him to be the person that surpasses him. His friend had placed a weight on him that he could never remove. He hated that feeling, feeling inferior to someone. But with Ryuto he could not help but feel inferior. He was better than him at everything. He had been a better captain, player, and person. He could smile in any situation and keep himself under control when need be. To him Ryuto was the perfect person, someone with no flaws. His admiration of him was far greater than Kagetora could know.

"How can I beat someone that is so much better than me?" Barry asked.

Kagetora shrugged. "That should be something you need to find, right?"

"Dammit," Barry muttered.

—-

The school bell rang for lunch period and everyone scurried about trying to find friends to eat with or get some food at the school's cafeteria. Ryuto sat at his desk and took out his lunch. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Kuroko starting to eat his own lunch; which always seemed small. Ryuto let out a sigh and moved his desk to connect with Kuroko's. Kuroko greeted him and returned to eating.

"Dude, how can you eat so little?" Ryuto asked.

"I have a small appetite," he responded.

 _Straight to the point,_ Ryuto thought.

The two boys continued to talk. They mostly spoke about their hobbies and such, since they wanted to avoid talking about the games.

"Hey, Rishihara-san, you get a minute?" a voice called out.

Ryuto looked away from Kuroko and saw a boy with short, light brown hair, dark blue eyes, and glasses. This was the Seirin's Student Council President, Keigo Yosano. He was a second year and usually had the best grades in the school.

"What's up, Prez?" Ryuto asked, cringing that he had referred to him by his last name. He hated being called by his last time. He could never understand why, it was a personal tick of his. He was always correcting people, except his teachers.

"Refer to me as Yosano-san," Keigo said pushing up his glasses, "Or with any type of honorific. We aren't exactly friends."

"You do know I don't use honorifics for anyone, right? I just imply them whenever I speak," Ryuto explained.

"That's besides the point," Keigo said waving a hand.

His eyes then drifted over to the side, and noticed Kuroko looking up at him. Keigo jumped back in surprise at the sight.

"Kuroko-kun, I didn't see you there," Keigo said composing himself, "Hello."

"Hello, Yosano-senpai."

Keigo then turned back to Ryuto. He let out a breath in order to calm himself down.

"I just got to say, watching those matches against the foreigners is so awesome! I never knew basketball could be so intense," Keigo said excitedly.

Ryuto let out a nervous laugh and put his hand behind his head. "Well, it can be. Especially those games."

"I can't wait to see our team play against them. Now that Kaijo has shown they're not invincible, I'm sure our school can win!"

Ryuto let out another nervous laugh. He looked over to where Kuroko was sitting but found an empty seat. He looked back to see Kuroko walking out side the classroom. He gave him a look as he exited as if saying: "You're on your own."

 _Damn you, Kuroko. I'll get you back for this._ Ryuto thought.

He turned back to the Student Council President, who had a particular gleam in his eyes.

"They're strong, so we can't go easy on them," Ryuto said.

The the gleam in his eyes left and was quickly replaced by a stern look. "I heard a rumor going around school saying the players are from the American school you went to."

"Wow," Ryuto said blinking rapidly, "Word travels fast. I did, and they're some of my best friends."

"I hope that doesn't hamper your ability to play?"

Ryuto leaned forwards and rose an eyebrow. "Why do you care how I play?"

"The school's reputation is on the line," Keigo said, with the glare from his glasses blocking his eyes.

"What does loosing to American's have to do with the school's reputation? We just won the the Winter Cup, the biggest tournament in Japan."

"Yes, yes, I'm aware. However, consider this, if Seirin defeats the American team, just like Kaijo, then we'll defiantly be considered the best school in Japan."

Ryuto leaned back in his chair, still with an eyebrow raised. "Why do you care so much if we win?" He crossed his arms as he finished his question.

Keigo pushed up his glasses. "I want this school to have the prestige it deserves. A prestige equivalent to that of Rakuzan."

"Rakuzan?"

Keigo sighed and sat down in front of Ryuto.

"Most of my family went to Rakuzan for high school. So when I decided to go to Seirin, most of my family was disappointed in me; especially my older brother."

Ryuto leaned in again and urged him to continue his story.

"I want my family to see that Seirin is equivalent in both studies and athletics to Rakuzan. And with them loosing, both in the Winter Cup and against the Americans, maybe they'll see it."

Before Ryuto could respond, the bell sounded and the lunch period was over. Students scrambled around in order to get to their next class. Keigo let out a sigh and stood up. He politely bowed to Ryuto and walked away.

 _So, this means that much to him,_ Ryuto thought.

—-

Ronnie returned to the hotel as everyone was preparing to head out for their game. Barry, Cisco, and Jay all walked up to him with concerned expression. He gave them a simple run down of his injuries, leaving out the fact that he was done playing basketball. He looked over his teammates, all of them were wearing their warmup uniforms. Oliver, Diggle, and Felicity were talking amongst themselves, with Felicity going through her notes. Snart and Mick were off to the side looking as if they were scheming something. Rene and Curtis were talking about stats, even though Rene seemed to ignore Curtis. Ray and Carter were going over different movements with an imaginary ball.

Coach Stein walked over to Coach Wells and began to discuss Ronnie's injuries. Wells got visibly upset when Stein mentioned Ronnie's basketball career was over. Stein was about to continue talking, when Wells held up his hand to stop. He turned and grabbed Ronnie warmup uniform.

"Ronnie."

Ronnie turned to Coach Wells and saw him handing him his uniform. Ronnie slowly raised his hands to grab it. He looked up at Wells, his eyes getting misty.

"You're still a part of this team."

Ronnie nodded.

—

Midorima Shintaro sat up from his bed after finishing taping his fingers and listening to the Oha Asa. He grabbed his glasses of his desk and examined them. He took out his glasses cleaner and made sure they were spotless. He blinked rapidly as he put them on. He grabbed his bag from his desk and swung it over his shoulder. As he exited his room, he let out a low grunt as he had forgotten his lucky item. Oha Asa had said that today was going to be good day for Cancers such as him, but he wanted to have his lucky item on hand just in case.

He had found out that the person he would be facing, Oliver Queen, was a Taurus. He had partly wished a shooter of his caliber would've been a Cancer like him, so they could get along. The captain of Shutoku, Otsubo, was a Taurus and he got along fine with him.

He had watched all games Oliver played in. The blonde prided himself in being a shooter, as did he. However, he did not approve of his release. He had made a promise to himself that he was going to be the first to block him.

Midorima pushed up his glasses as he put on his shoes. When he stood up the doorbell rang. He opened it and there stood Takao, with his usual grin and his hands behind his back.

"We got to get going."

Midorima nodded and exited his home. As the two started to walk, Midorima turned to Takao, who was holding up an arrow.

"You told me to get you this."

Midorima nodded and took the arrow. He examined it and noticed the tip was a pointed, green blade. Midorima rose an eyebrow, curious towards the color.

"Why green?"

Takao shrugged. "It was the only one they had."

"I see."

"Why an arrow? I thought today's item-" "Today's item is an arrow, just like how it was a shogi piece when we took on Akashi." Midorima said cutting off Takao.

"Whatever you say."

Midorima let out a chuckle and the two continued to walk towards Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium.

 **AN: With that, chapter 11 comes to a close. The reason I chose to not make the Shutoku game this chapter was because I wanted to deal with the after effects of Ronnie using the Zone, while mirroring, in a way, what happens to him on the show. This chapter also foreshadows some things that will happen during the Shutoku game. The part at Seirin was to show the reaction of people who don't much about basketball and how they feel towards the sport. I hope that clarifies everything for everyone. If it doesn't, feel free to write it in the reviews or PM me. I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and stay tuned for the next one. Remember to follow, favorite, and/or review if you're enjoying the story.**


	13. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

Perfect Accuracy (Part 1)

Midorima sat with the rest of the Shutoku team in their locker room. He sat by himself, carefully removing the tape on his fingers. He examined his nails and let out a satisfied grunt at the sight of them. He took out the arrow from his bag and looked it over once again. The green tip was reminding him of his opponent, Oliver Queen. He had made sure that he knew everything about his opponent and how to counter him. He had seen videos of the blonde shooting from half court using the same form he always used, he had shot from half court during the match against Rakuzan as well. Deep down, however, Midorima knew there was something more to Oliver.

As his teammates got ready, they would occasionally glance towards their shooting guard. Taking note of how concentrated he looked.

"To think he'd put so much thought into one opponent," Miyagi said.

"He's probably so focused 'cause his opponent is similar to him," Kimura added.

"You're wrong," Midorima said standing.

All eyes in the locker room turned to him. The four starters looked towards the green-haired teen and could see the determination in his eyes.

"We are not similar. Not by a long shot, and I will prove that on the court."

The starters smiled, knowing that their ace was getting fired up; even if his expression did not show it.

"Let's go." Otsubo said turing away from everyone.

"Yeah!" the team said in unison.

—-

In the stands, Seirin had settled into their seats. Before the teams walked onto the court, they were all talking about how it was now possible for any of the Japanese teams to win. They knew the American team was strong, but seeing Kaijo defeat them by such a wide point margin had caught them by surprise.

"They won by eight, that's been the widest score gap so far," Izuki said.

Ryuto, meanwhile, was still silent. He did have input on the conversation, but kept it to himself. He felt his phone buzz in his pocket, causing him to loose his concentration. He took it out and read that it was a message from Kasamatsu.

 _Not gonna arrive for the first quarter. Keep me updated._

Ryuto let out a light laugh as he typed his message. _Sure thing. Warmups are about to start._

As he tapped the send button, both teams walked onto the court. The crowd began to cheer at the sight of both teams, causing him to look up. Ryuto looked towards Shutoku and saw Takao with his usual sly grin. He smiled at the sight, but it quickly faded when he remembered his words from the match against Yosen; he would not be able to compete against Cisco. His gaze shifted towards Midorima, who had his usual stoic look; at the same time, he had a determined look on his face.

He glanced towards CCHS's side and noticed that Ronnie was in crutches. Riko nudged him with her elbow and gestured towards Ronnie.

"Looks like I was right," Riko said.

Ryuto looked towards Ronnie, and the look on his face confirmed it, yesterday's game was his last. Ryuto let out a defeated sigh and sank into his seat. He could not help feeling responsible for Ronnie's situation. His outburst about how he always felt that he was lagging behind stung his heart. Now, seeing him hiding his pain behind a smile, he knew it was largely his fault.

"It's not your fault," Riko said staring at him.

"Huh?"

"I know that look on your face, it's whenever you feel guilty about something. That boy's injury is not your fault. Everyone gives it their all to win and he's not exception."

Ryuto smiled and straightened himself in his seat. "You're probably right."

He pushed his hair back and turned to the court to watch the warmups.

—-

Oliver watched the green-haired shooting guard release and watched as the ball sailed high in the air before splashing into the hoop. Oliver scowled at the sight, before releasing his own shot. The ball bounced off the backboard and into the hoop. Oliver turned back towards Shutoku and saw that Midorima was staring him down. Their stare down was cut short when a ball bounced off of Midorima's head. Oliver looked to the side and saw a boy with dark brown hair and blue eyes holding in laughter.

"Takao," Midorima grumbled

"Sorry, Shin-chan, but I did warn you," Takao said, still trying to hold back laughter.

Oliver watched as Midorima stormed over to Takao and grabbed his head, slowly tightening his grip.

"Owowowow," Takao said, repeatedly.

Oliver turned back to his side of the court, just in time to notice a pass sent to him by Diggle. The dark-skinned teen walked up to Oliver and saw the commotion on Shutoku's side of the court.

"Something's going on over there," Diggle said, putting his hands on his hips.

Oliver turned back towards Shutoku and placed the ball on his hip. "Yeah, I don't think those two get along."

Oliver turned back towards the basket and released, making it again.

"You seem to be more focused than usual," Diggle said.

"I want to beat that guy. He's a shooting guard and so am I, my pride is on the line," Oliver said catching a pass from Cisco.

"I think you're just saying that," Diggle said as he watched Oliver release another shot. "How're you going to beat him?"

"Easy, scoring more point than him," Oliver said with a smug smile.

Diggle nodded and jogged back to the basket to practice his lay ups. Oliver was about to join him, when he felt something nudge his foot. He looked down and saw a basketball. As he went to pick it up, he heard a voice call out to him.

"Hey, can you pass it back?!"

Oliver looked up to see Takao jogging over to him. He stopped a few feet in front of the blonde and placed his hand behind his head.

"Sorry, Shin-chan just can't catch a ball today," Takao said with a chuckle.

"Shut it, Takao!" Midorima called out.

Oliver let out a nervous laugh as he did not know what the boy was saying, but seemed to understand the context.

"Oh, right, you can't understand me can you," Takao said, laughing and switching languages. "Sorry, I forgot that for a second."

"English?" Oliver said with a surprised look.

Takao nodded. "Yep. It's my best subject in school and Ryuto's my best friend so he taught me some. Unlike, Shin-chan."

Takao snickered while Oliver was still unsure about what the teen was talking about. Oliver then felt a surge of anger and saw that Midorima was towering over Takao. He placed his hand on his head and began to squeeze.

"One more word, and I'll crush your head," Midorima threatened.

"Hey, that hurts!"

Oliver was unsure of what to make of the situation between the two.

Meanwhile, in the stands, Ryuto simply face palmed at the sight between the two Shutoku players. "Why does he do that?"

Back on the court, Takao had walked away from Midorima, soothing the pain he felt in the process. The two shooting guards were now face-to-face.

"Oliver Queen."

"And you're Shintaro Midorima."

"I see you did your research on me," Midorima said pushing up his glasses, in the best English he could.

Oliver shrugged, ignoring Midorima's accent as he spoke English. "Just a bit, just so I could know how you shoot."

Midorima's eyes narrowed. "Did you learn anything?"

"Yeah, that I'm still the better shooter."

"You're an arrogant one. Allow me to show you true defeat."

With those words, Midorima turned away from the blonde. Oliver smiled and turned towards his team.

 _It's on!_ The two teens thought simultaneously.

The buzzer sounded throughout the court and both teams returned to their benches. Both teams discussed their game plan, each team knowing that the game was going to be a battle of shooting guards.

On CCHS's bench, Wells discussed how Oliver was going to mark Midorima and make sure he could not shoot. While Cisco made sure to shut down their point guard as his court vision was one of the best.

Shutoku's bench discussed something similar. Midorima was to guard Oliver and Takao Cisco. As the team discussed their strategy more in detail, Midorima glanced towards his bag, where his lucky item was stored. Confirming its presence one last time, he turned to Takao.

"Can you handle their point guard?"

Takao chuckled. "Don't know yet."

The buzzer sounded and the five starters walked onto the court. CCHS's starting lineup was the same as it usually was as was Shutoku's.

Up in the stands, Ryuto placed his hand on his chin, analyzing both teams's lineups.

"All in all, Shutoku has the advantage in height as well as general strength."

Riko nodded in response. "Otsubo-san and Kimura-san are very good defenders. While Midorima-kun and Takao-kun are their main point scorers."

 _If I were to face him, I'm sure I'd loose,_ were the words Takao had said in regards to facing Cisco. Ryuto remembered the look in his face, his usual smile disappeared in an instant, not even when he played against Seijūrō did his smile fade. What was it that spooked him so much? Ryuto knew the answer would come soon.

Around him, his teammates were commenting on match ups. Ryuto was too lost in thought to notice their conversation.

"What do you think, Ryuto?" Kiyoshi asked.

"I-I-I'm sorry, what were you talking about?" Ryuto stammered.

"Kagami-kun had said that Oliver was not going to loose to Midorima-kun so easily," Kuroko answered.

"Well, Taiga's right. Oliver won't let Midorima walk all over him. He's too prideful to let that happen," Ryuto said, composing himself.

Their conversation stopped when the referee's whistle was blown, and they turned their attention towards the court. Both teams were in position for the jump ball and the referee walked up to middle and placed the ball in between the jumpers.

On the court, Diggle watched as Shutoku set themselves up. The instructions that Coach Wells had given him were ringing in his ears. _Let them win the jump ball, I want to see just how quickly Shintaro releases._

Diggle hated the fact that he had to loose a jump ball, and this time it was on purpose. He pushed those thoughts aside and focused. He watched as the referee tossed the ball up and he jumped off the ground. As anticipated, Otsubo won the jump ball and sent it towards Midorima.

In the instant Midorima caught the ball, he was already jumping for a release. CCHS's eyes widened in shock, Midorima set up for a half court shot in no time at all. He released the ball and the whole team watched as it sailed through the air. The arc was high, higher than even Kise's and it only seemed to climb higher. CCHS held their breath and released when the ball swished through the hoop. Oliver looked towards Midorima, and only strength radiated from him.

"That is the difference between you and I."

Oliver smiled, which caught Midorima by surprise. "You're just getting me all fired up aren't you."

Up in the stands, Seirin's jaws had dropped to the floor; especially Kagami, Kuroko, and Ryuto.

"How fast did he set up?" Kagami asked, to no one in particular.

"It had to be a second, a second and a half at most," Ryuto responded.

"Amazing, Midorima-kun," Kuroko said.

 _When we first played against him, his set up was eight seconds. Now, it felt like he just caught the ball and released it. Tall, dark, and green keeps on improving,_ Ryuto thought with a smile.

On the court, as Midorima jogged towards offense, a mark of anger appeared on his forehead. "Rishihara."

Takao raised an eyebrow, but still let out a chuckle.

As CCHS recovered form the initial shock, Wells jumped from his feet and looked directly towards Felicity. "Felicity, the data you gave us about his release was incorrect."

Felicity looked through her clipboard to find Midorima's stats. She had written down that eventually Midorima could reach a level where his set up and release were quick, but she was not expecting to see it so soon.

"I mean, I did write down he would eventually be able to do that," she said nervously.

Wells let out a sigh and sat back down. _I made sure Oliver had the timing from watching the match against Rakuzan, but it seems their shooting guard keeps improving._

The five CCHS players recovered and prepared for their own offensive. As Cisco caught the inbound, Oliver stood in front of him.

"Give me the ball at the half court line."

Cisco nodded, he knew what Oliver was planning.

Just as Shutoku set up for defense, they all saw Oliver being handed the ball at the half court line. Oliver set up for his shot, and released. The ball sailed in a straight line, bounced off the backboard and into the hoop.

The crowd cheered, all of them saying something similar. Exclaiming how Oliver had responded to Midorima's shot.

Midorima never broke his gaze from Oliver, who game him a smug smile.

"You're not the only one who can shoot from half court."

Midorima grunted and pushed up his glasses. "I'm not impressed."

The quarter continued to be just what everyone had anticipated, a battle between shooting guards. Every shot that Oliver would take, Midorima would score right after. Try as he might, Oliver could not block Midorima. He was always too early on his jump, or too late. As for Midorima, whenever Oliver went to shoot, he half attempted to block it; which infuriated Oliver.

"If you're going to try and block me, at least put some effort into it!"

Midorima replied with a grunt and turned away from the blonde.

Up in the stands, Ryuto had managed to figure out Mirodrima's plan. He was jumping in order to find the right timing in order to block Oliver's shot.

"He'll probably graze the ball soon," Ryuto mumbled.

Riko looked at him inquisitively, but remained focused on the game.

On the court, Cisco slowed down the pace of the game by slowly bringing the ball past half court. When he passed the line, he glanced over to the scoreboard. It was 23-23, tie game, with five and a half minutes left in the quarter. He looked back towards Takao, who was in a defensive position, ready to move. Cisco looked towards Oliver, who seemed to glare at him. He could see the blonde's hands twitch, he desperately wanted to shoot. Cisco then positioned himself to attack, but suddenly his vision shifted. He saw Takao jab at the ball causing it to come loose.

Cisco's vision returned to normal and he quickly adjusted from an attack and sent a pass towards Barry. Takao's eyes widened in surprise, he was prepared to stop his attack.

 _Dammit, that vision of his is really no joke._

Miyagi moved to defend Barry, but he was quickly passed by. Kimura moved to defend Barry, but simply spun past him, leaving his defender behind. Barry jumped for a lay up, but Otsubo was there, ready to block it.

"I won't let you!"

Barry then shifted his body and placed the ball in his left hand and sent a pass towards an open Oliver. Otsubo let out a surprised gasp.

 _It was like seeing Aomine and his unorthodox play style._

Oliver caught the pass and quickly set up for a shot. As he released, Midorima jumped to block it. He was a second too late to fully block the shot, but Oliver could see that the green haired teen had managed to graze the ball. He gritted his teeth at the sight of it

The ball bounced off the backboard and then hit the front of the rim. The ball bounced into the air, then fell into the hoop; Oliver had scored. He let out a satisfied grunt and gave Midorima a smug smile.

"See that. Even if you touch the ball, I'll still make it."

Midorima pushed up his glasses. "I see that you're too blind to see what's really happened."

Snart walked up to Oliver, knowing he probably did not understand a word that Midorima had said to him. To his surprise, Oliver was smiling.

"You understood what he said?"

Oliver shook his head. "No, but I know smack talk when I hear it." Oliver made a fist and put it into his open palm. "I'll make sure he never touches my shot again."

Snart simply nodded and jogged to defense.

The back and forth between the shooting guards continued. Despite them scoring most of the points, they seemed to not get tired out. Shot for shot, both teens were able to respond. However, Midorima continued to manage to graze the ball after Oliver's shots. It frustrated Oliver that his opponent was able to get closer to to blocking him than he was. Oliver looked towards the scoreboard after Midorima scored another three; Shutoku was ahead, 38-35 and there was only a minute left in the quarter.

As the final seconds counted down, the game's pace slowed down as well. Cisco kept a constant eye on the shot clock, making sure he would use up as much game time as possible. With 10 seconds on the shot clock, Cisco made his move. He passed the ball to Snart, which caused Midorima to shift his defense in order to help on the attack. Snart then drove towards the basket and he smiled when Midorima started to move to assist on defense. Snart then came to complete stop and passed the ball to a now open Oliver.

Oliver smiled and set up for his shot. He released with two seconds left on the clock. However, his usual cocky compose was shattered when the sound of the ball colliding with a hand resonated throughout the court.

Oliver looked and saw Midorima jumping in front of him and the ball against his open palm. Everything seemed to freeze around Oliver. All he could see was Midorima blocking _his_ shot. Then everything played in fast forwards. The ball flew in the opposite direction of the basket and landed in the outside. Just as the two boys landed, the buzzer sounded. Oliver looked towards the green haired teen with a shocked expression. His jaw hung open, while Midorima had his usual stoic expression. Midromia grunted and pushed up his glasses.

"Man proposes, God disposes."

The crowed then roared with cheers. All of them were chanting Shutoku's and Midorima's name, while exclaiming at how Midorima blocked Oliver's shot.

Ryuto and Kagami let out shocked gasps as they watched what had unfolded.

"M-Midorima blocked Oliver," Kagami said in disbelief.

"Why are you guys so surprised?" Izuki asked.

Ryuto took a deep breath in order to compose himself before answering. "No one has ever blocked Oliver before."

This time Seirin let out a surprised gasp of their own. They all turned towards Midorima, who was being congratulated by his teammates as they walked off the court. Ryuto, meanwhile, looked towards Oliver, who seemed to be fuming with anger.

Ryuto crossed his arms and sat back in his seat. "Whenever something bad happens to one of them, the-"

"The others start to fall," a familiar voice said behind him, finishing Ryuto's sentence.

Seirin looked back to see Kasamatsu walking down the step, with Kise close behind. Kasamatsu smiled towards Seirin while Kise waved hello.

"Hey, you guys made it! I'm assuming you saw that last play?" Ryuto asked.

Kasamatsu nodded as he sat behind the grey-haired teen. "It took me a few moments before I could fully process it." Kasamatsu then turned towards Ryuto, with a frustrated expression. "You were supposed to keep me updated on the first quarter."

Ryuto let out a nervous laugh and placed his hand behind his head. "Sorry. I got caught up with watching the game that I forgot."

Kasamatsu let out a grunt as he crossed his arms.

On the court, both teams walked towards their benches for the short intermission between quarters. As CCHS sat down on their bench, Oliver grabbed a water bottle and threw it against the wall behind him.

"Fuck!"

His teammates turned towards him in surprise. Oliver was no stranger to saying profanities, but the way he said it threw everyone for a loop.

"Oliver!" Felicity's voice rang out. "You don't need to throw things."

Oliver tightened the grip of his fist and sat down with a grunt. He grabbed another water bottle, but rather than drink from it, he seemed to try and crush it in his grip.

"The bastard blocked me. I won't let him do it again," Oliver grumbled.

On Shutoku's bench, Midorima stared at his hand. It was red and whenever he tried to close it to make a fist, he would wince in pain.

In his mind, the image of Oliver's released replayed over and over. He now understood why no one would attempt to block him, his packed so much power into one release it was almost as if it could pierce through someone's hand.

Midorima fought through the pain and closed his hand and opened it again; blocking another shot of his was his priority now. He had to get used to the pain.

"Oi, Midorima, did you listen to the plan?" the coach asked.

"Sorry, I wasn't listening," Midorima said, not facing him.

"Oi, do we need to have Kimura get a pineapple?" Miyagi said, jumping from his seat.

Midorima remained silent. Miyagi's expression softened as he saw his teammates expression.

"Shin-chan, you alright?" Takao asked.

"Hey, come on, look, I didn't mean to be-" "No need to apologize. I was too lost in thought to hear the plan, but I do have an idea," Midorima said, cutting off his upperclassman.

"We're all ears," Otsubo said, putting down a water bottle.

Midorima nodded and pushed up his glasses. "I'll focus on defense this quarter. Queen has a powerful release, and it caused my hand to sting. I need to get used to that feeling. So, use me sparingly on offense. Focus on attacking the basket."

His teammates and the couch thought the plan over, and gave a nod in response.

"We'll do your plan," the coach said.

Midorima nodded and stood just as the buzzer rang. He turned towards Otsubo, who nodded.

"Let's go!"

"Yeah!" the team replied in unison.

—

The second quarter was not faring well for Oliver. Midorima had upped his defense on him and would either graze the ball or completely blocked his shot. The more he shot, the more frustrated Oliver would become.

Cisco looked towards Oliver. He saw that Midorima was guarding him closer than before; no doubt cutting off any chance at a pass. Cisco silently cursed and turned his attention back towards everyone else.

"Cisco!"

Cisco looked to the side to see that Diggle had given Oliver a screen and was now open. Cisco passed towards Oliver. He was surprised that Takao did not try to intercept it. Oliver caught the ball and set up for an open shot he then released and the ball sailed in the air.

"He's going to miss," Kise said in the stands.

Everyone turned to look at Kise, who's head rest on his hand.

"He's affected by all the pressure Midorima was giving him. That pressure affects you when you take an open shot."

Everyone turned back to the court to see that Kise's prediction came true. Oliver's shot bounced off the backboard and into the open hands of Otsubo. He then turned to see Takao running down the court. Shutoku's captain threw the ball down the court and as Takao caught it, Barry appeared in front of him ready to stop his advance.

"I think you forgot about someone," Takao said as he tossed the ball behind him.

Barry's eyes widened when he saw Midorima catching the pass.

"Dammit!"

Barry jumped to block the green-haired teen's shot, but could not reach the height to block it. The ball sailed into the air and Shutoku scored another point. Midorima let out a satisfied grunt and pushed up his glasses.

"Great shot, Shin-chan," Takao said with a smile.

"I have today's lucky item, plus Oha-Asa said it would be a good day for Cancer's such as myself. Today, I will not miss."

Takao rolled his eyes at the reply, but still gave his friend an encouraging smile; which the green-haired teen returned.

Oliver, meanwhile, hung his head at the same spot where he released his shot. However, he did not feel defeated, he was angry. Angry that he had missed. For the first time, not only was his shot blocked, but he missed. To him that seemed impossible, he never missed. He looked over to Midorima, who was being congratulated by his teammates. He hated the sight of it.

 _Teammates, who needs those. I'll win all on my own._

Oliver tightened the grip of his fist and walked towards the other side of the court. He called out to Cisco, who gave him the ball without a second thought. Oliver then began to dribble. His first dribble seemed to silence the whole court. Midorima turned to his rival and his eyes slowly widened.

 _Impossible_

"I've seen the footage. You can shoot from half court," Oliver said as he stopped his dribble. He set up for a shot and brought the ball to above his forehead. "You're not the only one who can do that." He then released his shot. It flew in the same straight line it always did.

Everyone watched in stunned silence as the ball flew, even Ryuto and Kagami seemed tense about the situation. The ball, rather than bounce off the backboard, landed in the hoop; nothing but net. The bounced on the floor before any reaction was shown by the crowd. Once they processed what had happened, they all cheered loudly.

Ryuto, meanwhile, pushed his hair back as he let out a breath, the tension disappearing from his body. "What the hell?" he muttered.

"H-He can shoot from the other side of the court?" Hyuga said, astonished.

"He's improved that much since middle school?" Kagami asked in disbelief.

Ryuto looked closely at Oliver as he recovered from his shot. He placed his hand on his chin, in a pensive manner.

"It looks like he can't shoot too many of those," he said aloud.

Everyone turned to him and Ryuto knew he had to explain. "He took longer than normal on his release in order to pull off that shot. That means he has to put more power into, not only his jump, but also his release. That means he'll have a limited number of shots due to how much stamina it drains."

Oliver, meanwhile, opened his eyes and found himself in a bright area. He put up his hand in order to block the light shining on him. The blocked light allowed him to see that he was standing on top of an endless ocean. Oliver looked down and saw that the ocean seemed to go on forever and yet he was not sinking. He lifted his foot and ripples formed. He put his foot down and rippled formed again.

"Where the hell am I?" Oliver asked a loud.

He kneeled down and stared down into the watery abyss. He squinted his eyes and seemed to see some kind of light at what could be the bottom of the endless ocean. Oliver tried to get himself to sink, but nothing worked. It was as if the water rejected him. Oliver let out a grunt and stood up. He placed his hands on his hips and shrugged.

"Whatever it is, I don't really care for it."

He was then snapped back to reality when he felt someone tap his shoulder. Oliver blinked rapidly as his mind was brought back to the court. He looked up to see Diggle staring at him with concern.

"You alright, man? You seemed spaced out," Diggle asked.

Oliver waved him off. "I'm fine. Also, you're not my bodyguard. You don't always have to ask about my wellbeing."

Oliver walked away from Diggle and put his sole focus on Midorima. His grip tightened just by staring at him.

 _Teammates. Friends. I don't care for that. Especially when I'm on the court. I'll crush this guy and his team myself._

"Hey, Carrot Stick!" Oliver called out.

Shutoku had heard what Oliver had said and they all tired their best to hold in their laughter; except for Takao, who seemed to be dying of laughter.

"Oh, man, Carrot Stick, that's a good one," Takao said, placing a hand on Midorima's shoulder.

Midorima held back his anger and turned towards the blonde. "I'm not letting you get away with that."

Oliver smirked. "Then come on. Go against me at full strength. I'll crush you and your team, all on my own."

Oliver's teammates looked towards him. All of them had worried expressions on their faces. They all knew Oliver was not the best team player, but he would act like one when he had to. Now, with a the look in his eyes, he was denouncing his team, something he had never done before. Oliver then turned to his teammates, his blue eyes were cold as ice.

"Cisco, only give me the ball. The rest of you better not get in my way."

"Oliver, wait. We're a team, you can't just denounce us like that," Barry said.

Oliver turned away from the four teens. "I just did. Now come on, we're on defense."

As soon as Oliver finished his sentence, the ball swished into the basket. Oliver looked up to see Midorima pushing up his glasses. "You want my best, I'll give it to you."

Oliver smirked again. "Let's go."

The second quarter continued and both teams play style's had changed. Shutoku was attacking the basket more, while CCHS had only Oliver scoring. However, many of Oliver's shots were either blocked or grazed by Midorima. Regardless if Midorima stopped him, Oliver would continue to shoot.

As he caught another pass, he glanced towards the scoreboard. The score was 57-50, Shutoku was in the lead with less than minute left. He clicked his tongue in frustration, Midorima's defense was better than he anticipated. He looked in front of him to see the green-haired teen in a defensive stance, ready for anything.

 _Better try using one of the shooting forms,_ Oliver thought.

He set up for a shot and Midorima got into position to block. As Oliver jumped up to release, Midorima found himself unable to jump. His eyes widened in surprise, he knew that Oliver could use all three shooting forms, however, he was not expecting him to use them.

Oliver's shot bounced off the backboard and into the hoop, which garnered cheers from the crowd. Oliver gave Midorima a cocky smile and jogged to defense. Midorima glared at him, but then turned his attention to the scoreboard; there were 10 seconds left. He smiled.

"Takao," Midorima said, holding up his hands.

Takao nodded and passed his the ball.

Oliver looked back to see Midorima setting up for a shot. His eyes widened and he sprinted down the court. Oliver then jumped, jumped as high as he could. He felt himself get near the ball, and felt his middle finger slightly graze the ball. Midorima noticed the graze, but did not react to it. He had full faith that his shot would go in.

When Oliver landed, he turned towards the hoop. He watched as Midorima' shot neared it. The buzzer rang out signaling the end of the half, but the ball was still in the air. The ball then bounced off the back part of the hoop and back into the air. The ball fell again, this time into the basket. Midorima had scored.

The green-haired teen let out a satisfied grunt and walked off the court, not giving Oliver a second look. Oliver tightened his grip and walked off the court.

In the stands, Ryuto sat back in his seat and processed the ending of the half. He knew Oliver preferred to play alone, but he had never experienced him denouncing his teammates.

"Then again, he did hate me," he mumbled.

Kagami then nudged him and gestured towards the exit. Ryuto nodded and stood up.

"Taiga and I are gonna grab something to drink. Anyone want anything?" Ryuto asked.

Everyone nodded no, but thanked them for asked. Ryuto nodded and began to walk up the steps towards the exit.

The two teens stopped at the vending machine, but neither one bought anything. They simply leaned against the wall with their hands in their pockets. Ryuto let out a breath and pushed his hair back, he knew what they were about to talk about.

"Oliver's attitude has gotten worse."

Kagami nodded. "He's always wanted to play by himself, but what just happened is another level entirely."

"Looks like me trying to make him a team player didn't work," Ryuto said with a humorless laugh.

"Do you think if he looses to Midorima, will it make it worse?" Kagami asked.

Ryuto shrugged. "Don't know. I have a feeling it might make it worse if he wins."

—

In CCHS's locker room, it was relatively silent. Oliver's foot rapidly tapped the floor, and it was the only sound that could be really heard. He then suddenly stopped and everyone looked up. He stood up and grabbed a towel and a basketball.

"I need to warmup," he mumbled.

"Oliver, wait!" Diggle called out.

As he said that, Oliver had already closed the door to the locker room. Diggle gritted his teeth in frustration and tightened his grip. He walked towards the door of the locker room, but a hand placed on his shoulder stopped him. Diggle looked back to see Barry, hanging his head.

"Don't bother, he won't listen."

Diggle forcefully removed Barry's hand and took a step closer to him. Everyone around them stood up and got ready to break up a fight if need be.

"He'll listen to me."

Barry looked up and stared Diggle in the eyes. "Are you sure? You guys do hang out all the time, but are you really friends?"

Diggle inched closer to Barry. Cisco then moved in between them and tried to push them away from each other. "Now's not the time for this."

"I'm the only friend Oliver's got! He knows that. So he'll listen to me."

Diggle turned to exit the locker room, but the sound of Coach Wells clearing his throat stopped him in his tracks. Diggle turned his attention towards the coach, as did everyone else, he was holding a clipboard and clicking his pen.

"The only way for Oliver to realize what he's doing is detrimental, is when Midorima shuts him down entirely."

—

Oliver walked down the hallways of the gymnasium, not sure where he was going. Whoever walked past him would avoid him like the plague. He did not have an actual destination, he just did not want to be in the locker room. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a tanned skinned teen with navy blue hair walking past him. He stopped walked and turned around, the teen had stopped as well and turned towards him. The two stared at each other, their gazes seemed to be sizing up the other. The blue-haired teen's expression changed and he seemed to dismiss the American teen. Oliver gritted his teeth in frustration, he was not about to dismissed by someone who was sizing him up.

"Hey!"

The blue-haired teen stopped walking and turned back towards Oliver.

"Yeah. What do you want?" the teen asked lazily, in Japanese.

Oliver could not understand what the boy was saying, but he could understand the context. "I know who are, and you're just going to turn your back on me."

"Congratulations. And yes, I am turning my back on you," the teen responded lazily.

To Oliver it was as if he did not care about him, he hated that feeling. "You have something to say to me. I know it." Oliver took a step forwards as he finished his sentence.

The teen shrugged. "I did, but now it doesn't matter."

The teen still spoke in Japanese, now it was becoming more difficult for Oliver to understand what he was saying. The teen took notice of Oliver's expression and sighed.

"I did, but now it doesn't matter," the teen repeated, in the best English he could.

"And why's that?" Oliver asked, crossing his arms.

"Because, you have the same eyes as I do, or rather, did," the teen answered.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Oliver asked, raising an eyebrow.

The teen turned away from Oliver, but he turned his head towards him. Oliver could only see a singular blue eyes scowling at him. "That you're going to loose."

The blue-haired teen put his hands in his pockets and began to walk away. From the hallway next to him, a pink haired girl appeared. She called out to him with a nickname: "Dai-chan." The girl looked back towards Oliver, only giving him a quick glance before turning away.

 **AN: Hey, guys! Finally updated! Sorry for being gone so long, but I did explain why. Just to reiterate why, I had lost my creative drive to write this story and my other ones, but recently I managed to get a lot of that creativity back (thank Attack on Titan the most). I hope you enjoyed this chapter as much I enjoyed writing it. Though, this game in particular went through a lot of revisions in my head. Mainly because of how I wanted things to play out and because of that, I will be splitting this game into two parts. Sorry for doing that, but this is the best way to do tell this story. With all that out of the way, I hope you enjoyed this chapter and please follow, favorite, review if you did. Also, I want to thank DarkElements10 for beta-ing a lot of my chapters. She's been a huge hep in making this story possible. So if you have a chance, check out her stories, they're all really good. Stay tuned for the next chapter!**


	14. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

Perfect Accuracy (Part 2)

As both teams walked onto the court after halftime, there was a roar of cheers from the crowd. Even though most of them were cheering was for Shutoku, every so often someone would be cheering for the American team.

"I wonder if those are Americans rooting for CCHS?" Kagami asked.

"Dunno, but people seem to enjoy watch the showdowns with the Generation of Miracles," Kasamatsu said, sitting back in his seat.

As everyone talked around him, Ryuto only stared at Oliver. He carried himself with his usual cocky composure, but he could see that Oliver's personality had somewhat shifted. He walked separately from the group, even away from Diggle; his only friend. He watched as the team settled back into their bench, and the only one who did not sit down was Oliver. He did simple, light stretches as the other players sat down and listened to the game plan.

 _Has it gotten worse? What happened during half-time?_

The buzzer sounded and both teams walked onto the court.

On a separate side of the gym, Aomine watched both team walk onto the court. His eyes were solely focused on Oliver. He had ran into him during halftime, and he could see his attitude had yet to change. He let out a sigh and slumped into his chair. Satsuki eyes him curiously, wonder what was making him so upset.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing. That blonde just pisses me off," Aomine answered.

"Oliver Queen?"

Aomine nodded in response.

Satsuki then looked through her stat sheet to find Oliver. She mulled over his stats, wondering what had caught Aomine's attention, the two teens had very different play styles. However, they did have a distinct disregard for team play, though Aomine was slightly less opposed to it.

"Is that the guy from the hallway?" Satsuki asked.

Aomine nodded again. "He had that look in his eyes, the one that caused the divide between Tetsu and me."

Satsuki turned back towards the court and watched as the game was about to resume.

—

Takao's hands twitched as he watched CCHS set up for the inbound. In the back of his mind, replayed the instructions the coach gave. _Play closer to the half-court line. Takao, I want you to steal their inbound._ He could feel the sweat drop from his forehead as the play played out in his head. The distance between the passer and the point guard was short. He only had a single shot in order to make the play work.

Cisco looked to his side and saw that Shutoku was playing closer to the half court line. He rose an eyebrow, curious as to why. He returned his focus to the inbound as the referee blew his whistle.

The referee gave the ball to Snart for the inbound, and in that moment Takao sprinted. As Snart released the ball, his eyes widened as he saw Takao get closer. Takao managed to catch the inbound, and sprinted towards the basket. Before he could get to far, Barry overtook him and stopped his advance. Takao smirked and passed the ball backwards, where Midorima was waiting. Barry's eyes widened as he saw the green-haired teen set up for his shot and release. He then turned away from the basket and Takao followed him.

"Can't believe that actually worked," Takao said with a smile.

Midorima grunted and pushed up his glasses. As he did so a swish resonated throughout the court. "I fully trusted that you'd make it work."

Mirdorima placed his hand on Takao's shoulder and gave him a quick smile. Takao snickered and the two prepared for defense.

Up in the stands, both Kuroko and Ryuto were smiling between the exchange of the two. They both knew that Midorima had grown as a person.

As Cisco caught the inbound, he let out a mumbled curse. In only a matter of seconds, Shutoku had scored and extended their lead. Shutoku was ahead by ten and Midorima showed no signs of being able to be stopped. As he dribbled down the court, he could see Oliver glaring at him. He could also see Midorima eyeing him carefully. Midorima knew what he was thinking, a pass to Oliver would mean a steal. When he neared the three point line, Takao got into position.

 _I need to change things up._

Cisco then held up a single finger. "Lightning!"

His teammates nodded and got into position. Oliver's gritted his teeth and reluctantly preformed the play. After a hand off from Snart, Barry sprinted towards the basket and scored a lay up. As the team jogged towards defense, they congratulated Barry on his shot. Meanwhile, Oliver tightened his grip.

"Cisco!"

Everyone stopped moving and turned towards Oliver. His face only had an angry expression as he walked towards his teammates. He closed the gap between him and Cisco that, if Cisco was the same height as Oliver, their noses could touch.

"I thought I told you," Oliver said placing his finger on Cisco, "to only give me the ball."

Cisco swallowed nervously before answering. "Shintaro was going to steal it the moment I passed it. I made a judgement call. I am the point guard after all, it's my role on this team to be able to set up plays."

"And I told you, to only pass it to me," Oliver said in a hushed tone.

He walked past Cisco, bumping into his shoulder. The force of it caused Cisco to stumble, but he managed to regain his balance and not fall. Cisco turned back to say something to Oliver, but was met with a cold stare. The blonde's eyes with filled with anger, that it froze Cisco in place.

"Only pass it to me."

On CCHS's bench, Coach Wells let out a sigh. He looked through Oliver's stats as he rapidly clicked his pen. "Dammit," he mumbled.

Wells stood up and walked over to the scorer's table. After another point made by Shutoku, the buzzer sounded for a timeout. The CCHS players turned towards their bench and saw Coach Wells with a frustrated expression.

Up in the sands, Seirin plus Kasamatsu and Kise were commenting on the timeout being called.

"It probably has to do with their shooting guard," Kasamatsu said crossing his arms.

"He's acting way too self-centered," Izuki added.

"All I know is, that if he was on our team, I'd have straightened him out as soon as I met him," Hyuga said cracking his knuckles.

Ryuto tuned them out and solely focused on his former teammate. As he did so, his mind began to drift.

 _Flashback_

Ryuto dribbled a ball at the three point line, he squared up for a shot and released. As the ball left his hands, Oliver appeared and blocked his shot. Ryuto watched as the ball bounced behind him, ignoring Oliver's taunting. As he grabbed the loose ball and placed it against his hip, he turned towards the blonde.

"What was that for?"

Oliver snickered. "No reason. Can't have other people being good at what I'm at. Don't you think?"

Ryuto rolled his eyes, he lost interest in doing extra practice. He walked over to his bag and took out a water bottle and a towel. Oliver scoffed and walked over to him.

"Hey, I asked you a question," Oliver said, yanking the towel out of the grey-haired boy's hand.

Ryuto remained silent. The silence was frustrating Oliver. His hand formed into a fist and he brought it up. "Don't give me the silent treatment, you foreigner!"

Oliver let loose his punch, but Ryuto simply stepped to the side causing Oliver to fall with the momentum. Oliver landed on his side and let out a quiet yelp. He sat up and looked towards the Japanese boy. He gritted his teeth in frustration and shot up from the floor.

"What's your problem anyways?" Oliver asked.

"Nothing. You're the one who's getting angry," Ryuto said, picking up his towel.

Ryuto turned away from Oliver and dried off his face. He then took off his sweaty practice shirt and put on a clean one. He placed the shirt and towel back in his bag and put the bag on a single shoulder.

"You're just going to leave?" Oliver asked in a surprised tone.

Ryuto stopped walking and slightly turned his head to face the blonde. "Last time I checked, you always leave as soon as practice ended."

Ryuto turned away from the blonde and walked out of the gym. As he walked towards the school's exit, he felt a rush of wind. He looked up to see Oliver sprinting ahead of him and hugging a man that stood on the sidewalk next to a fancy, black car.

Ryuto rose an eyebrow at the sight, but understood the situation. He kept to himself and walked past the two. As he did so, he could hear what the older man was saying.

"Get in the car, Oliver. We'll head home soon."

Oliver nodded in response and sat down in the back seat. The man closed the car door and let out a sigh.

"Excuse me, young man," the man called out.

Ryuto stopped walking and slowly turned to face the man. Getting a good look at the man, he looked similar to Oliver, except his blonde hair was greying and he had a beard.

"Yes?" Ryuto asked.

"You're with the basketball team, correct?" The man asked.

Ryuto simply nodded in response.

"I see, you're one of the Japanese boys Oliver talks about," the man said with a laugh. "Whenever he mentions the team, you always come up."

Ryuto placed his hand behind his neck and rubbed it nervously. "I'm sure he only says he hates me. We don't exactly get along."

The man let out another laugh. "That I know. You two just have differing personalities. That's what makes you two 'incompatible'. Though, he does say nice things from time to time."

"Look, Mr. Queen, I don't mean any disrespect, but I need to get home soon," Ryuto said trying to leave the conversation.

"I understand. Though, I just want to say one thing. You're relationship seems to have an effect on Oliver. He comes home and I can see he's more willing to help," Mr. Queen replied.

Ryuto scoffed. "I highly doubt that."

"I do hope you continue to push him to become a team player. He needs to learn that aspect of the sport and life," Mr. Queen said.

"I don't think I understand."

Mr. Queen opened the passenger seat's door and placed a foot into the car. "I think you do. Just keep him from abandoning his teammates on the court. That'll be a good first step." Mr. Queen closed the car door and a few seconds later drove off. Leaving Ryuto to his thoughts.

 _End Flashback_

 _Back then, what did he mean? Was he referring to what he is doing now?_

Ryuto was stripped form his thoughts when the buzzer sounded for the end of the timeout. He turned to Kuroko, who was staring intently at the court.

"Did I miss anything?" Ryuto asked.

Kuroko nodded his head no. "Not really. Though there seemed to be a lot of shouting from the American team's bench."

"What was it about?"

Kuroko shrugged. "I wasn't really listenting."

Ryuto groaned and face palmed at the comment.

"Sorry," Kuroko added.

Ryuto waved him off. "It's fine. I'm sure I'll figure it out by watching."

Ryuto glanced at the scoreboard. He had not noticed that the timeout was taken so early in the quarter, only a minute had passed.

The minutes passed and both teams were racking up points. The showdown between the shooting guards had become less frequent as Oliver was being used less on offense; which frustrated the blonde shooting guard. With Oliver's shots being less frequent, CCHS was bale to catch up and now were only behind by two; even with Shutoku scoring more points.

With two minutes left in the quarter, both teams were starting to feel the fatigue. As Cisco dribbled the ball past half court, he saw Oliver break away form his defender. Cisco sent a pass towards him and as he caught it, a smile formed on his face.

Oliver set up for his shot, and released. However, Midorima jumped and the ball met his palm. Oliver's eyes widened and he let out a shocked gasp. Takao sprinted and caught the loose ball, ahead of him ran Miyagi.

"Miyagi-senpai!" Takao shouted as he threw the ball down the court.

As Takao threw the ball down the court, Barry reacted quickly and sprinted. As Miyagi caught the ball, Barry was in front of him ready to defend.

 _Damn, he's fast,_ Miyagi thought.

Before he could get into a stance, Barry jabbed at the ball causing it to come loose. Barry stretched his arm to grab it, but Takao was there to grab it. The teen smirked and sent a pass to the side. Barry looked over and saw that Midorima was setting up for a shot, without the ball. Barry's eyes widened in surprise when the ball landed in his hands. Midorima then released and scored.

The crow roared with cheers at the sight of the play. All of them were exclaiming that Midorima could not be stopped.

Barry panted as he placed his hands on his knees. He wiped sweat from his forehead and straightened himself. He looked towards Midorima and Takao, he could see the trust they had in each other and their teammates. He looked towards Oliver, who was the complete opposite. He distanced himself from everyone and only trusted himself. Diggle had tried to talk to him during halftime, but that had not worked. It only served to distance Oliver more. Barry let out a sigh, he knew he had to do something as the team captain, but he and Oliver never got along. He let out another sigh and prepared to finish out the quarter.

—-

The final minutes of the quarter proved to be a disaster for CCHS. Whenever Oliver would release his shot, Midorima would be right there to stop it. No matter what maneuver Oliver did to get away from his opponent, he would always end up being blocked. Cisco tried to not give Oliver the ball, but Shutoku had tightened their defense and it proved to be difficult to pass the ball around to find an opening to attack, so the ball would always end up in Oliver's hands. Rather than continue to pass, Oliver would try to shoot.

With the final seconds winding down, Cisco knew he had to do something to score. The score gap had widened, but the game was still close; with Shuktoku still in the lead. He looked towards Barry, who gave him an encouraging nod. Cisoc took in a breath and got into an offensive stance.

Takao readied himself for the drive. He caught a glimpse of Barry moving from his position. In a quick motion, Takao lunged at the ball, but Cisco crossed over and tossed the ball back. Takao looked back and saw Barry catch the ball.

Barry set up for a shot and released. The ball sailed through the air and into the hoop. As the ball touched the ground, the buzzer sounded. Barry had scored a three which brought the point gap to six. Barry and Cisco high fived as the two walked towards the bench.

On Shutoku's bench, Takao let out a breath. "Man, that sure was impressive. I got distracted for a moment and that happens."

Midorima nodded. He removed his glasses and using a towel, he cleaned them. He inspected them and when he was satisfied, he put them back on. "I think it just shows you're aware of your surroundings."

Takao laughed and lightly punched Midorima on the shoulder. "Thanks."

Takao opened his eyes and saw that Midorima was staring at his hand. Takao tilted his head to the side, curious as to why he was doing so.

"You okay?"

Midorima closed his hand and turned to him. "Yes. My hand just stings a bit."

Takao nodded in response.

Over at CCHS's bench, everything was relatively quiet. No one spoke to one another, they simply sat on the bench, catching their breaths. Oliver sat apart from the others, not associating with anyone. Barry glanced over to the blonde. He let out a breath and put down his water bottle. He stood up and walked over to Oliver.

Oliver looked up and scowled at his team captain. "What do you want?"

"You need to start seeing the bigger picture," Barry said, crossing his arms.

Oliver rose an eyebrow, unsure of what Barry was talking about.

"You need to start trusting us and playing with us," Barry said.

Oliver stood up from the bench and looked Barry straight in the eyes. "I don't need any of you to win. Last time I checked, we aren't friends either."

"I'm not asking to be your friend. I'm talking as this team's captain. The only way we win is if we work together and beat these guys. None of us have the jumping power to stop Shintaro's threes, but if we make sure he doesn't get any passes then we minimize the ability for him to shoot," Barry replied.

Oliver crossed his arms and scoffed. "What makes you think we need to do that to stop him? We just need to score more than him and I'm that person."

Barry was about to respond when someone else spoke before him.

"Why can't you get it through your thick skull that Shintaro has shut you down entirely?"

Everyone looked to the side to see Felicity. She held her clipboard against her chest, but she had a frustrated expression.

"You're perfect accuracy has dropped drastically, to the point where it's almost zero. Meanwhile, Shintaro has yet to miss," Felicity said as she held out her clipboard with Oliver's stats on them.

Oliver looked them over, but ignored the data. "You can't measure that with data."

"On the contrary, that's exactly what I've been doing. The only way to beat Shintaro and his team is to work with your teammates. What don't you get about that?" Felicity asked, throwing down her clipboard.

"I can do this on my own, I don't need you guys to help me," Oliver said, gesturing to the others.

"Oliver," Coach Wells said pushing up his glasses, "in the third quarter, you didn't make a single three. Now, look at the scoreboard."

Oliver looked over to the scoreboard and saw that it was 80-74. He rolled his eyes and turned back to the coach.

"We're behind by six, I can get us those six points," Oliver said pointing at himself.

"We're behind by six because you want to do everything yourself. Every shot you have taken and was blocked, you could have sent a pass. The moment you catch the ball, the middle opens up and a single pass could get us a point. You're just too self-centered to see that. Plus, you haven't even taken into consideration what Kagetora taught you," Wells explained.

Before anyone could say anything, the buzzer sounded for the the start of the fourth and final quarter. Oliver clicked his tongue and walked onto the court.

Barry let out a sigh. "I hope that worked," he mumbled.

—

The fourth quarter started with Shutoku scoring quickly. CCHS continued to be in disarray and, because if that, their defense was weakened. Meanwhile, on offense, Shutoku had loosened their grip defending while Midorima continued to mark Oliver without letting up. Oliver clicked his tongue in frustration, whenever he tried to make any move Midorima followed him.

 _I have to get this guy off of me,_ Oliver thought.

Cisco turned his gaze away from Oliver, knowing he was not a viable option. He set himself up to pass towards Diggle, but his vision turned blue and he saw Takao stealing it. Cisco then corrected himself, catching Takao by surprise, and sent the pass towards Snart.

Snart froze his defender in place and attacked the basket. Diggle's defender, Otsubo, moved to help defend, but in doing so, left an angle to pass towards Diggle. Snart passed towards Diggle, but the ball was cut off by Takao. In a flurry of movement, Takao threw the ball down the court where Midorima was running towards. The teen caught the ball and was ready to set up for a shot, but Oliver managed to catch up and ready himself to defend.

"You're probably thinking that you can stop me by getting closer," Midorima said, narrowing his gaze, "but, I'm not limited to shooting."

Oliver tensed up as he waited to see what Midorima would do. Midorima brought the ball to his side and began to dribble. Oliver noticed that the green-haired teen was left handed, just like his former captain. He scowled at the sight, another reason to dislike his current opponent. Midorima motioned for a crossover, but it turned into a pass towards Kimura. Oliver turned towards Kimura, but he sent the ball right back to Midorima who set up for a shot and released. He scored again, furthering Shutoku's lead.

Oliver let out a curse and jogged the grab the ball. He turned to towards Midorima, who continued to stare him down. Oliver tightened his grip on the ball as he stared back.

"Oliver," Cisco called out.

Oliver turned towards his teammate, with the same glare he showed Midorima. Cisco took in a breath, released it and looked Oliver in the eyes.

"I trust you."

Oliver's glare morphed into a surprised look. "What?"

"I trust you. I trust you to score, you just need to trust us to open that opportunity up for you," Cisco said, taking the ball out of the blonde's hands.

Cisco lightly pushed the blonde from the out of bounds and set himself up for the inbound. He then handed Oliver the ball who grabbed it, still with a surprised look."

"Now, show that carrot stick that you never miss," Cisco said.

Oliver composed himself and nodded. He turned towards the court, and saw Midorima was still at the half court line. Oliver set up for a full court shot, and Midorima make no movement to block it. Oliver released his shot and the ball sailed in the air. It bounced off the backboard and into the hoop, scoring Oliver's first point since the second quarter.

Before the two could react, the ball swished into the hoop and landed in front of the boys. The two, plus the others from CCHS, looked back to see Midorima pushing up his glasses.

"I think you're all forgetting that I'm no pushover."

Oliver smirked. "Let's go, Carrot Stick."

The forth quarter continued and CCHS had managed to collect themselves and close the score gap, but Shutoku was still in the lead; 93-90. Everyone noticed how Oliver was a bit more willing to cooperate, but he still had a ways to go before fully integrating with the team.

Up in the stands, Ryuto and Kagami watched the blonde closely noticing how he seemed to be thinking before making any moved. Ryuto let out a light chuckle and leaned back slightly in his seat.

 _Looks like he's starting to see it more clearly,_ Ryuto thought.

Kagami looked towards his grey-haired friend and noticed his expression. He knew what he was thinking and it also made him feel happy, even if he still could not bring himself to change his feelings towards Oliver.

With three and half minutes left in the game, the players on both sides were panting and catching their breaths. Midorima wiped sweat from his face with his shirt and looked up towards Oliver. He noticed how his opponent had calmed down, however he was still easy to predict in how he was going to shoot. Midorima smirked, never had someone pushed him to become a better long range shooter like the blonde did.

"Takao."

Takao straightened himself and turned towards his teammate. "Yeah?"

"I want to win," Midorima answered, not facing him and with a smile.

Takao chuckled and clasped his hands behind his head. "Well, duh. That much is obvious."

Midorima nodded and jogged towards defense. Takao snickered and followed him.

The game clock continued to wind down, and the score had reached a stalemate of 100-100. Both teams were nearing their limits and there was still another minute of playing time. As CCHS was about to inbound the ball, the buzzer sounded for a timeout. CCHS looked towards their bench and saw that their coach had called for it. Both teams walked off the court and sat on their benches to catch their breaths.

Coach Wells looked over his five players, his starters since the beginning. He had wanted to swap out players, namely Oliver, but he knew it would be a detriment rather than being helpful; plus it would not have helped Oliver's mood. However, he noticed how Oliver had become a bit more accepting of his teammates and was starting to slowly understand what teamwork was. He smiled at himself and put his pen in his pocket, unaware he had been clicking it. He then cleared his throat to get everyone's attention.

"You're all doing great. Though, if you passed once more, you'd notice how the middle becomes easier for a drive," Wells said.

The players nodded in response.

"Also, Oliver," Wells said turing towards the blonde, "good work and keeping Shintaro from getting the ball too often."

Oliver simply nodded in response. Cisco lightly punched the blonde's shoulder, which garnered a confused looked from the him.

"Keep him contained for the next minute and we should be able to win," Wells said.

The moment Wells finished his sentence, the buzzer rang out and both teams walked back onto the court. The inbound was quick and game resumed. Cisco knew he had to get a point in and he knew it had to be a three. As long as they could contain Midorima on defense, they could win. Cisco steeled himself and gave a signal. Diggle nodded and moved to screen Midorima. Using the screen, Oliver moved away from his mark and called out for a pass. As Cisco prepared to pass, his vision shifted and he saw Takao stealing the ball. Cisco gritted his teeth, planted his foot and redirected the pass towards Barry.

Barry got into position and drove towards the basket. As he spun around Otsubo, he sent a pass towards Oliver. In any other situation, he would have scored a lay up, but he knew what Cisco's plan was and he trust both Cisco and Oliver.

Oliver caught the pass and set up for a shot. As he did, Midorima jumped up, determined to block the shot. For a moment, Oliver's mind drifted to what Coach Wells had told him earlier.

 _You haven't even taken under consideration what Kagetora had taught you._

Oliver now knew what his coach was talking about. As he jumped to release, Midorima caught a glimpse of his release and let out a shocked gasp. With the way his hands were positioned, the shot would no longer be a straight line. As Oliver release, the ball sailed in a slight arc. However, to those who knew him they knew it was different to his other shots.

In the stands, Ryuto leaned in from his seat watching with a sense of awe he had never felt from watching Oliver. If he had to be honest with himself he had always somewhat admired Oliver in the fact that he could shoot three's so easily, while it caused him difficulty to make them consistently. Seeing Oliver changed his usual release only strengthened that belief; Oliver was truly and arched that never missed.

The ball swished into the basket, this time without touching the backboard. Oliver felt a swell of pride and the ball bounced on the ground, but it was different. He was always prideful, he took pride in his shooting ability, but this time it was different. He looked towards his hand and closed it. He put it in the air and let out yell, however, the yell was one of victory. He opened his eyes to see his teammates crowd around him and all of them were giving him praise. Oliver looked towards Barry, his captain, and noticed he was holding out his closed fist. Oliver gave his usual cocky smirk.

"This game isn't over yet. I'll return it when we win."

Barry let his arm fall to his side and he smiled, while adding an encouraging nod.

Meanwhile, Midorima watched the blonde with close scrutiny. He had not expected to see him changed his release, much less so late in the game.

"Oi, Midorima!" Miyagi's voice called out.

Midorima turned towards his teammates, who were getting ready for the inbound.

"We'll get them back," Otsubo said.

Midorima nodded and got ready to play the final seconds of the match.

Takao dribbled the ball to the three point line, and Cisco closed the gap between. Takao quickly noticed that Cisco's defense had greater pressure than before. Takao took a second to glance at the scoreboard. There were 45 seconds and counting. He looked back to Cisco and saw him going for a jab. Takao scooped up the ball and sent a high pass towards Miyagi. Miyagi jumped up and caught the ball and got in a triple threat stance. Barry got into position to defend, ready for anything. He let out a breath and everything seemed to move in slow motion. As Miyagi brought the ball down to dribble, Barry jabbed at it causing it to come loose. Miyagi let out a shocked gasp as he processed what happened. Barry moved to grab the loose ball, but Takao was already there.

 _No way, how did he get there before me,_ Barry thought.

Takao grabbed the ball and set himself up to pass. In a matter of moments, Midorima got a screen, allowing him to breakaway from Oliver. Takao threw the ball towards him, across the court. Midorima caught the ball and immediately set up for a shot. Oliver managed to get away from the screen and jumped to block the shot, but Midorima's feet never left the ground. Midorima moved to the side and reset up for a shot. As he was about to release, Oliver had managed to jump in an attempt to block. However, he had jumped too late and only managed to graze the ball. The ball sailed into the air and as the two teen landed, Midorima moved a few feet away from the three point line. The ball bounced off the back of the rim and the two centers jumped to catch it. Otsubo managed to catch the rebound and as he landed, he threw the ball towards an open Midorima.

Oliver turned towards the shooting guard in surprised and ran to block him. However, he was too late and Midorima was already releasing. Oliver turned towards the scoreboard, there was still five seconds left. The ball sailed in the air and as the buzzer rang, it was descending. The ball swished into the net and the referee blew his whistle counting the point; 103-103

The crowd cheered for both teams all of them saying that it was incredible that the game ended in a tie. In any other situation there would be overtime, however, no overtime tules were set before hand so both teams had to accept the time.

Oliver looked towards the ceiling and took in a breath. As he released it, he smiled and began to laugh. He had, in a way, lost. He put his hand against his face and continued to laugh.

 _I lost. I actually lost._

"Queen," Midorima's voice called out.

Oliver stopped laughing and looked up to see the shooting guard.

"In my opinion, our battle is not over," Midorima said.

Oliver nodded. "Yeah, it isn't. Still though, I didn't win you got the final laugh."

Midorima rose an eyebrow. "I don't follow."

"You scored last and it lead to m-" Oliver stopped himself. He knew what he was about to say. He said it easily enough in his last statement, but now he could not say it. He turned back towards his teammates, they were all talking to each other plus Takao; which confused Oliver. He turned back towards the green-haired teen. "The team not winning."

Behind him, the other four CCHS players stopped talking and looked towards the blonde. Oliver could feel the stares, but ignored it.

Midorima pushed up his glasses. "I see." Midorima held out his hand. "I hope we can play again, I don't wish to leave things like this."

Oliver nodded and shook the teen's hand. "The same goes for me."

Up in the stands, Ryuto stood up and walked towards the stairs. His teammates, plus Kise and Kasamatsu, looked towards him, wondering where he was going.

"I got to get going. I've been putting off studying for finals for a while," Ryuto said turing towards them.

Everyone's moods plummeted at the mention of finals. Ryuto gave a nervous laugh. "Sorry." He raised a hand apologetically and continued to walk up the steps. When he was out of sight, he took out his phone and scrolled through his contacts and stopped at one he never had used before. He let out a breath and began to type out a message.

—-

In the CCHS locker room, everyone was gathering their belongings to head to the hotel. As Barry closed his locker, he let out a breath and turned towards Oliver.

"Hey, Oliver."

Oliver zipped up his bag and looked towards the captain. The two said nothing to each other, but Oliver noticed the boy's smile. He glanced down and saw Barry had his fist outstretched. Oliver rose an eyebrow, confused.

"You said to return it when we win," Barry said, innocently.

Oliver frowned. "But we didn't win."

"But we didn't loose either," Barry replied. "Plus, we're teammates."

Oliver let out a short laugh and fistbumped him. "I guess you're right, Captain."

Barry smile widened a the mention of Oliver calling him captain. Around them, the rest of the team let out sighs of relief at the two somewhat making up. Wells smiled, his team was one step closer to becoming a proper team.

As the team exited the locker room, Oliver felt a buzzer on his phone. He took it out and saw it was a text from a number he did not have. He rose an eyebrow as he read through the text.

 _Hey, Oliver. I want to talk to you when you're heading back to the hotel. Let's meet up by the north exit. There's a trash can by the stairs._

Oliver's eyes widened when he read the name.

 _In case you don't have my number, it's Ryuto._

Oliver sent him a quick reply and put his phone in his pocket. As the team walked out of the gymnasium, Oliver separated from them and walked to where he had been directed to. When he arrived to the location he saw a boy with a messy mop of grey hair with a black, white, and red jacket looking at his cellphone.

Oliver let out a scoff as he walked towards him. "Why did you call me out here, Foreigner?"

Ryuto let out a chuckle and stood up placing his phone in his pocket. "Still gonna call me that, huh?"

Oliver shrugged. "It fits."

Ryuto let out a laugh, but did not respond. "You did well out there. That final quarter, brought back some memories."

"Yeah, well, I respected you. I still hate you though," Oliver said bluntly.

"Of course you do," Ryuto said with a sigh. He decided to change the subject. "That last shot you took, it was different."

Oliver shrugged and placed his hands in his pockets. "I don't know what you mean."

"Yes you do," a voice called out.

Both teens looked towards the top of the stairs to see Midorima starting to walk down them.

"It's not uncommon to changed up strategies to win a game, but you changed your release. Once one has released in one way and fully assimilates to it then it's next to impossible to change it. Yet you did, granted it was only once so it may have just been luck," Midorima said.

Oliver tilted his head to the side, unsure what the teen had said as it was all in Japanese.

"Um, Tall, Dark, and Green, he doesn't understand Japanese," Ryuto said.

Midorima let out a frustrated sigh. "Translate, please," he said with a hint of embarrassment.

Ryuto repeated what Midorima had said but in English. Olive processed what he was told and he knew where the shooting guard was coming from, as he knew better than most that his straight line shot was not something one could change easily. Truth be hold, he had to actually think about releasing how he did. If he had thought about it, Midorima would have ended up blocking it.

"It was luck, more or less. In any other situation I would've shot normally. I knew it was the only way for me to score. You would've blocked me in any other situation," Oliver said.

Midorima pushed up his glasses and walked towards the blonde. "Next time we play, I'll block all of your shots," he said as he passed him.

Oliver let out a chuckle and turned towards the shooting guard. "Next time, I'll know how to beat you and not let you block me. Plus, I have a team to back me up."

Midorima stopped walking and smiled, though he never turned towards Oliver.

"Let's go, Takao," Midorima called out.

Ryuto looked towards the top of the steps to see his friend walking down the steps. Ryuto greeted him with a fistbump and he jogged towards his teammates.

"How did you know I was there?" Takao asked as the duo walked away.

The only ones left now were Oliver and Ryuto. The two teens looked towards each other and they smiled.

"Two days and we play each other, and I'm going to win," Oliver said.

"I think there's a line forming for that," Ryuto replied.

Oliver chuckled and turned to walk away. Ryuto placed his hands in his pockets and walked in the opposite direction. Ryuto smiled to himself.

 _Team, huh._

 **AN: Here comes to a close the match against Shutoku. I hope you enjoyed this game and how things turned out. I had this game sort of planned out since I started writing, the ending of it was something I came up with recently. I decided to not have the match go into overtime, because it would affect Oliver in a different way if the game ended in a tie rather than a victory or a loss. Each game is supposed to build up one character in order for them to overcome something about them and this game was for Oliver to develop into a better player. I divided the game into two chapters mainly because if I would've kept them both as one it would've made this game longer than the rest so far. If you need any more clarifications on anything, PM me or leave it in the reviews. With all that out of the way, I hope you enjoyed this chapter and remember to follow, favorite, and/or review if you enjoyed. Stay tuned for the next update.**


	15. Chapter 14

**AN: Hey, guys! Here comes another nongame chapter. I made this one a bit different than the others, so tell me if it's good or bad and if I should do more like it. With that out of the way, I hope you enjoy this chapter.**

Chapter 14

Back Home

The sound of an alarm resonated through a room. The room was sparsely decorated with a desk cluttered with books and papers and a bookshelf lined with books of all kinds of topics. And hand clumsily made a few attempts to stop the ringing before finally stopping the sound. The person threw off their covers and sat up on the bed. The person was a girl with light brown hair and dark blue eyes. Her hair was wild and unkempt, with her eyes still half closed and adjusting to the morning. She let out a yawn and stretched her arms into the air.

As she slid off her bed, her phone buzzed again. She gave it a quick look, but her eyes shot open when she saw ti was an update from her sports app. She never was all that interested in sports or at all, but recently she found herself keeping up with one sport in particular; basketball. She read the headline closely: _CCHS ends game in a tie with Shutoku after loss against Kaijo._ She let out a sigh.

 _At least they didn't loose_ , the girl thought.

"Caitlin, you should be out of bed by now," a voice called out to the girl.

"Coming," Caitlin said.

Caitlin typed out a quick message and hit send. She went to set her phone back on her nightstand, but the article had been updated and now had a video of the highlight of the game. She grabbed her phone again and watched the highlights closely.

As she entered her kitchen, her mother gave a disapproving look as she saw her daughter having her eyes glued to her phone.

"You've been on that a lot recently," her mother said.

"Well, I want to see how my friends are doing in Japan. Plus the highlight are fun to watch," Caitlin said, not looking up.

"How you got interested in sports is beyond me," her mother said rolling her eyes.

"Something has to keep me busy since you're never around," Caitlin mumbled.

"You should only be focused on your studies, not on sports," her mother said, seemingly unaware of Caitlin's comment.

"My grades haven't faltered since my friends left, I think I'm fine," Caitlin said.

"Don't talk back to me with that tone, young lady," her mother said sternly.

Caitlin rolled her eyes as she began to eat her breakfast. As she watched the highlights of the match, she noticed that Oliver and a green haired boy took up most of the clips. The sight of a boy with green hair rose her eye brow. Something like that was not possible in her eyes.

 _Though, Ryuto's hair was naturally grey,_ Caitlin thought.

After she finished her breakfast, she got changed for school and prepared her school bag. She looked at the time, she had half and hour to make it to school. She wondered what time it was in Tokyo, probably late Saturday night because of the time difference being 13 hours. She wondered what her friends had done on their break. Her mind then drifted to Ryuto and the picture on her desk. It was the last time they were all together, it was Ryuto's birthday; August 11. His grey hair as wild as it always was and his usually smile plastered on his face. She had the picture on her desk to remind her of their three years of middle school.

As she walked down the stairs, the doorbell rang out. Caitlin opened the door and standing there was a short girl with brown hair and green eyes. It was her best friend, Cadence.

"Hey, Cade," Caitlin said as she closed the door to her house.

"Ready to go?" Cadence asked.

Caitlin nodded and the two began their walk to school.

"So, did you managed to catch the game?" Cadence asked.

"Not really, the games are at almost three in the morning. I'm fast asleep at that time," Caitlin said. "I watch the highlights in the morning."

Cadence nodded. "Makes sense. Though I might catch the game against Say-ran. Is that how you pronounce it?"

Caitlin giggled. "It's pronounced Seirin."

"I said that, besides when did you become the expert in Japanese?"

Caitlin shrugged. She did not really know what sparked her interest in the language. In her mind flashed Ryuto's smiling face. The thought caused her to blush, which is something Cadence caught.

"Someone's blushing. Is it Ryuto again?" Cadenece said with a mischievous smile.

"What? No, no, defiantly not. I was not thinking about him," Caitlin said. It was obvious in her tone that she was flustered.

"Oh come on, you can be honest with me. You like him," Cadenece said.

"When he left for Japan, we decided to remain friends. Besides, he has a girlfriend and she seems nice," Caitlin said.

Cadence eyes widened in surprise. "He has a girlfriend?"

Caitlin nodded. "Yeah, he's posted a few pictures with her on his social media." Caitlin took out her phone and opened the social media app. She clicked on Ryuto's account and showed Cadence one of his pictures. "See, that's her. Her name is Riko."

"She is cute. I still think you're more his type," Cadenece said.

Caitlin let out a groan as she put her phone in her pocket. "Why does everyone say that?"

The two friends arrived at school just in time for the homeroom bell, and after that she was off to her first class. She sat down in her first class and glanced at the empty seat next to her. In her mind she saw Cisco sitting there doodling away in his notebook. It had only been a week, but she still missed her friend, she missed all of her friends that went to Japan.

The morning went by as it always did, hoping from one class to another until lunch. At lunch, Caitlin sat at the table where she usually sat with everyone else; Cisco, Ronnie, Barry, and Jay. Their strong friendship had endured past middle school even after Kagami and Ryuto left for Japan. She did miss them, the constant bickering of the two Japanese boys in their native tongue was always fun to experience; even if half the time they were profanities. She had grown so accustomed to hearing Japanese that the sudden lack of it starting high school felt odd to her.

Caitlin was broken from her thoughts when her phone began to buzz. She took it out and saw the Ryuto was calling her. She could feel her face turn a bright red, she fumbled her phone before she could answer. When she composed herself, she let out a breath and answered.

"Hey, Ryu. What time is over there?"

"About 2am," Ryuto answered.

"What are you doing up?"

"Couldn't sleep. Tomorrow CCHS plays Tōō and the next day us. In a way, the anticipation isn't letting me sleep."

"Oh, I see. But why are you calling me?"

"Wanted to know if you've been keeping up with all the games," Ryuto said.

"I don't stay up to watch them, but I see the highlights in the morning," Caitlin replied.

There was a long pause in their conversation. Caitlin did not know what to say, and she still did not know what Ryuto was calling at 2am Japan time.

"I was wondering if you were going to stay up to watch our game against them," Ryuto said breaking his long silence.

"I'll try. That is the only game I really want to see."

Ryuto let out a laugh. "I guess that makes sense."

Caitlin lightly bit her lower lip. She was hesitant to ask, but she knew he would never call her out of the blue. "Why did you call me, Ryu?"

Ryuto went silent, no laughing, she could barely hear his breath. She could then hear him suck in a breath then release it. "During the times, we've just hung out Barry, Cisco, Ronnie, Jay, Taiga, and me, I've always felt that our group was incomplete. I do wish you were hear in Japan, just so we could all be together again."

Caitlin silently processed his words and felt the blush return to her face.

"Cait, can you hear me?" Ryuto's voice asked, but it was strangely different. "Hey, Cait." The voice this time was defiantly more feminine.

"Wake up, Cait!"

Caitlin blinked rapidly as she focused on who was talking to her. She looked up to see Cadence looking at her with a concerned, yet annoyed face.

"Have you been listening to me? You've been staring at your phone for awhile, it was starting to get creepy," Cadence said.

"Oh, sorry. My mind drifted," Caitlin replied as she put her phone in her pocket.

"You were blushing again. Thinking about Ryuto, right?"

Caitlin let out a sigh. Never had she ever spaced out thinking about him, much less a made up scenario. If she ever did was when she would reminisce on an old memory from middle school.

"Look, if you like him so much, just tell him," Cadence said, taking a bit out of an apple.

"If that's true, then I should say the same about you and Barry," Caitlin said as a sly grin crept onto her face.

This time it was Cadence's turn to blush. Her face turned so red it almost looked like she was on fire. "Shut up, we tried and it didn't work out."

"Uh huh."

"Can we please change the subject?" Cadence said, getting more flustered.

"Says the person who kept egging on about me and Ryuto," Caitlin replied.

"Says the girl day dreaming about him."

The two girls were silent for a moment before they both started laughing. No matter how much they bothered each other, they were still the best of friends.

Caitlin's final class at school turned into a study period, due to the teacher being absent. Caitlin glance around before taking out a workbook of Japanese words and grammar. She opened the book and began the lesson. She had always had a passing interest in learning another language, but she could never find time to out in the work among her other, more important, work. She looked over the kanji symbols saying each syllable carefully.

"Gomen'nasai, I'm sorry," she said aloud. "Sumimasen, excuse me."

 _Remembering the symbols is going to be the hardest part. I wonder if Mrs. Rishihara could help me. I probably should've asked her a long time ago,_ Caitlin thought.

She closed the workbook as she let out a sigh. She rested his head on one of her hands and stared blankly at the wall. She glanced back down at the workbook and as she was about to open it, the bell rang marking the end of the day. She placed the workbook in her bag and exited the classroom. After getting the books she needed from her locker, she walked off the school's grounds. As she waited at the bus stop, she glanced at the bus's route map. The route she always took to get home stopped by Central City University. She turned her gaze to her phone to check the time: 3:15.

 _I have time,_ Caitlin thought.

As the bus arrived, she boarded and sat down, waiting for the university's stop. As the bus came to a halt, he grabbed her bag and got off. As the bus pulled away, Caitlin looked ahead at the university's main grounds. It seemed to go in all directions. She took a deep breath and walked in.

It only took her a few moments to realize that she had no idea where to go. The signs were no help since she did not know the building's name. She let out a defeated sigh and prepared to walk back to the bus stop, until she bumped into someone.

"I'm sorry," Caitlin said without looking at who it was she had bumped into.

"No, it's fine. I should've been looking where I was going," a woman's voice said.

Caitlin looked up to see a short-statured woman, with dark blonde hair, and blue eyes.

"You seem lost," the woman said.

"Yeah. I'm trying to find Mrs. Rishiara. I mean Professor Rishihara," Caitlin said, quickly correcting herself.

The woman let out a chuckle. "Looking for Rikai, are you? She's in the language building, I just came from there." The woman looked at her watch. "Her lecture should've just wrapped up. Go straight ahead and you'll find the building. Her room is number 12 on the second floor."

"Thank you, Ms…" Caitlin's voice trailed off as she did not the woman's name.

"Tess is fine," the woman said.

"I see. Then, thank you Tess," Caitlin said.

Caitlin quickly walked past the woman and continued towards where she had explained. When she arrived at the language building, students were exiting and all of them were holding Japanese language workbooks; she had to be at the right place. She walked into the building, walked up the stairs and began to find room 12. When she found it, she peeked through the window on the door and saw a woman with short, dark brown hair erasing the whiteboard. Caitlin swallowed saliva, nervously and open the door. She quietly knocked it, alerting the woman of her presence, however, she had yet to face face.

"Left your book again, Jonathan," the woman said.

"I'm not Jonathan," Caitlin said sheepishly.

The woman turned and she gave a surprised look to see Caitlin standing by the door. However, her mouth quickly shifted to a smile. "Hi, Caitlin. What bring you by the university?"

"I came to ask you for some advice, Mrs. Rishihara, but now that I think about it, it would've been easier to stop by your house," Caitlin said.

"If you met me here at the university, then it's probably important," Rikai said with a smile.

As Caitlin walked over to her desk, Rikai opened a drawer and placed her markers in them. She then pulled out her chair and sat on her desk. "So, what advice do you need?"

"Actually, it's more like help," Caitlin said as she started to open her bag. She took out her workbook and sheepishly showed it to Rikai.

Rikai, meanwhile, simply smiled. "Looks like someone decided to learn."

Caitlin nodded in response.

"Let me guess, you want me to help teach you," Rikai said, a smile still on her face.

Caitlin nodded again.

"Sure, this'll be fun. How about you meet me at my house in about two hours? I got some papers that need grading," Rikai said.

Caitlin nodded and quickly put away her workbook. As she turned to leave, she cold hear Rikai clear her throat. Caitlin looked back to see that Rikai was looking through some papers.

"Any reason why you're deciding to learn?"

"I was just interested in learning a new language," Caitlin answered with a shrug.

"I see. That's good," Rikai said.

"See you later, I guess," Caitlin said.

After taking the bus, Caitlin arrived back to her house. She was not surprised when her mother was not there. She checked her phone and saw no messages from her. Caitlin knew she was likely still at her job. She let out a sigh and walked up to her room. She set her bag against the desk and sat down. She had other papers scattered in her desk, but she made no move to tidy them up. She let out a sigh and sat back in her chair. She glanced at the clock, the sun was likely to be rising soon in Japan and she knew her friends had a game. She had looked into all the teams her friends were playing and their next opponents seemed to be the toughest.

She wondered what had brought about her interest in basketball. Her friends were all on the team, but she never gave the sport too much thought. She glanced at the photo on her desk, it was on a basketball court. They were all wearing exercise clothes and smiling happily. She remembered the day so vividly all the time. It was the last time she saw him and got to say goodbye. Despite only being gone for a year, she felt like he had changed so much. She glanced at her schoolbag again, deciding not to get started on homework just yet.

—-

A few hours later, Caitlin was on her way to the Rishihara household. She had not been there since Ryuto had left, but now she was going back. She wondered what Toshiro or Yuki would say at seeing her again. The thought of Ryuto's siblings made her smile. She had been one of the first people to break through Yuki's shyness, something not many could do. As she walked by a park, she glanced towards it and saw two boys playing basketball. She stopped and watched them for a moment and her mind began to drift back to that day, the day he had stopped being nervous around her.

 _Flashback_

As Barry scored a basket, his team began to cheer.

"Looks like my team won," Barry said as he high fived Jay.

"Looks like it," Ryuto said with a laugh.

The boys all began to laugh, while the Caitlin, Cadence, and Iris were off to the side watching them play and making comments every so often.

"Man, Barry has gotten really good," Iris said.

"Has he? I don't really pay too much attention," Cadence said.

The two girls rose an eyebrow and turned towards her. Cadence looked between the two girls with a confused expression. "What?"

Caitlin and Iris then began to laugh, leaving Cadence even more confused. She rolled her eyes and lightly punched the two girls arms.

"We should head back soon, Dad should be finished making food by now," Ryuto said, grabbing the basketball.

"Yes, your dad is so good at cooking. His hotpots are amazing," Cisco said with his mouth practically watering.

"He's not making anything Japanese, you know that right? It's just burgers and hotdogs and that kind of stuff," Ryuto said.

Cisco turned towards the grey-haired boy and frowned. "Really? Come on, I was really hoping to get some of your dad's Japanese cooking."

Ryuto shrugged. "Sorry man."

Cisco's arms slumped on his sides. "Dammit," he muttered.

The group began to laugh, while Cisco tried to hide his face in his shirt.

As the group returned to Ryuto's house, one whiff at the air and they knew there was food either ready or soon to be ready. Barry and Jay seemed to be ready to pounce on whatever was available. As they entered through the backyard, Ryuto's dad, Ryunosuke was manning the grill with Joe West, Barry's foster father and Iris's dad. Meanwhile, his mother, Rikai was talking amongst family friends. Toshiro was running around with friends of his.

Ryunosuke turned back and waved at the group of teens. "Hey, give me about five more minutes."

"Aw man, I'm starving," Jay and Barry said at the same time.

"Jeez, you guys are always hungry," Cisco said.

"Says the guy whose always munching on candy," Cadence said with a sly smile.

Cisco rolled his eyes. "Hey, it gets me through the day."

"You do you," Cadence said.

"Barry, control your girl," Cisco said pointing at Cadence.

Barry's face immediately turned red. "Come on man."

The group laughed again as they all sat down at the patio's table. As Caitlin went to grab a water bottle, Ryuto went to get one as well. He smiled towards her.

"Thanks for coming," Ryuto said as he closed the cooler.

"Well it is your birthday as well as your send off party so of course I wouldn't miss it," Caitlin replied.

Ryuto let out a laugh. "Yeah, that's true."

"When did you become such an airhead?" Caitlin asked as she put her hands on her hips.

Ryuto shrugged. "It comes and goes."

Caitlin giggled and lightly punched his arm. "You're so dumb sometimes."

"Explains why my grades are average."

Caitlin punched him again. "That's because you spend more time on a court than studying."

The two laughed, this was the first time they had a conversation without Ryuto getting nervous. Caitlin stopped laughing and processed the thought. Every time they would talk he would always try to avoid looking at her and occasionally stutter. She knew for awhile about his crush on her, in way she found it cute at how he would act around her. It had only been two months since he told her how he felt, but since he said that he acted different around her. Not that that was a bad thing, but had thrown her off guard at the relative ease it was for him to talk to her. She wondered if he had moved past her in such a short time.

"Hey, Caitlin," Ryuto's voice called.

Caitlin blinked rapidly as she was broken from her thoughts.

"You spaced out there for a minute," Ryuto said.

"Sorry, I was just thinking."

"About what?" Ryuto asked. "I'm not trying to pry or anything, just curious."

Caitlin was silent for a moment, she did not know how to respond. She wanted to say what she had on her mind, but something was stopping her. "Just about how school is like in Japan."

Ryuto remained silent, his silence was making Caitlin nervous. Then he shrugged. "Not too different. Though the school year is year round, it begins and ends in April. There's a couple other differences, but they're superficial."

"Wait, if it's year round, you won't be starting in high school?" Caitlin asked.

"Nope, summer break is ending there so I'll be going to a middle school in Tokyo."

"Graduated middle school just to go back," Caitlin said with a laugh.

"Yep, life just isn't fair," Ryuto replied placing his hand behind his head and letting out a small laugh.

"So, I want to know, what's Japan like?"

The question caught the attention of the others at the table who began to ask as well. Ryuto let out another laugh and sat down on the table, and began to talk about all the things he had seen the last time he was in Japan.

 _End Flashback_

Caitlin turned away from the basketball court and returned to walk towards the Rishihara household. When she arrived, she took in a deep breath before knocking on the door. When she did, she could hear shuffling of feet as they made their way to the door. The door opened and there stood Ryunosuke, Ryuto's father. He smiled at the girl.

"Well, Caitlin, it's been awhile hasn't it."

Caitlin nodded. "It has hasn't it."

"Come in. Rikai is expecting you, right?" Ryunosuke asked as he stepped aside.

Caitlin nodded and walked into the house. Before she took another step, she remembered that she had to take off her shoes before walking into the house. She quickly took off her shoes and set them aside.

"I see you remember," Ryunosuke said as he closed the door.

"Of course, Ryu drilled it into all of us," Caitlin said.

Ryunosuke nodded. "Well then, Rikai's office is this way."

As the two walked past the kitchen, Caitlin saw Toshiro eating away at his plate while Yuki was slower compared to her brother. Caitlin smiled, it had be a while since she saw them. She gave them another look before she continued towards the office.

"Caitlin!" a voice called out.

Caitlin turned back to see Toshiro smiling happily at her.

"Hey, Shrio! It's been awhile."

Toshiro nodded excitedly. "Have you been watching the CCHS games?"

"Only the highlights in the morning. The games are played so early in the morning that I'm not awake for them," Caitlin answered.

"But you're going to my brother's game, right?"

Caitlin could see the starry look in his eyes, he really admired his brother. She smiled softly at him. "I'll try."

"Awesome! Dad said I could stay up with him to watch it."

She placed her hand on his head and ruffled his unruly black hair. He playfully swatted away her hand and started to laugh.

"Shiro, if you finished eating, wash your plate," Ryunosuke said in Japanese.

"I know, Dad. Bye, Caitlin!" Toshiro said switching languages mid sentence.

Caitlin waved goodbye as the boy went back to the kitchen. She looked up to see Yuki shyly eyeing her. Caitlin gave a smile and waved at her, which Yuki returned.

"They're happy to see you," Ryunosuke said.

—

When Caitlin arrived to Rikai's office and saw the stack of papers by her computer, which she was sorting through. Caitlin knocked on the door softly, which turned Rikai's attention away from the papers. Rikai smiled and motioned for Caitlin to sit at the small desk and set down her bag. When she sat down, Rikai returned to sorting through the papers.

"Sorry, I can't seem to find one of my students papers."

"I can come back another time," Caitlin said grabbing her bag.

"No, it's fine. I think I left it back at the university," Rikai said. "Now then, shall we get started.

Caitlin nodded and took out her workbook. She handed it to Rikai who looked over the workbook and gave a satisfied nod.

"You're a quick learner," Rikai said looking up from the workbook.

"Thanks, I started about a month ago," Caitlin said with a confident smile.

Riaki turned back to the workbook and skimmed through it again. "How many times do you practice?"

"Three times a week, if I'm lucky," Caitlin answered.

"I can see that you have trouble remembering kanji, but your romanji is good."

Rikai closed the workbook and handed it back to Caitlin. She began to run down through the aspects of learning the language and finding the best ways to learn it. Caitlin listened closely to what the woman was saying, wanting to absorb every detail. She began to wonder how long it would take for her to learn. Based on what Rikai was saying it would be awhile before she could hold a decent conversation with someone.

"If you come by on weekends, I can help you practice. If you'd like," Rikai said with a motherly smile.

Caitlin felt warmth seeing her smile. It had been a long time since her mother last smiled to her like that. Caitlin nodded enthusiastically with a smile of her own.

"Great, we can get started tomorrow, if that's fine with you," Rikai said.

Caitlin nodded. "I don't have any plans."

"That's good," Rikai said returning to her papers. "If you're hungry, I'm sure there's leftovers from dinner."

"I'm fine, but thanks," Caitlin said. However, as she finished her sentence, her stomach betrayed her words and her face flushed with embarrassment.

Rikai laughed. "It seems your stomach says otherwise. Come on."

Caitlin gave an embarrassed nod and followed Rikai towards the kitchen. When she was served a plate, Rikai excused herself and returned to her office, while Ryunosuke finished cleaning the kitchen. Caitlin ate silently, but also still somewhat embarrassed. Despite her embarrassment, the food she was eating was delicious. She had always known that Ryunosuke was the cook of the house, but every time she had something he it was delicious.

"Do you like it?" Ryunosuke asked, breaking Caitlin from he thoughts.

Caitlin nodded. "It's really good. Feels authentic."

Ryusnosuke gave her a fatherly smile. That feeling in her heart returned. Seeing such a smile reminded Caitlin of her own father, the father she had lost. Sadness washed over her and she set down he chopsticks and looked at her plate solemnly.

"Is everything alright?"

Caitlin forced a smile. "Yes. I just remembered something from a long time go."

Ryunosuke nodded. "I see. Was it my son, Ryuto?"

"Yeah," Caitlin lied, "he made me something once and this made me remember him."

"That boy, he was so opposed to tradition. Yet he's fitting in just fine over there," Ryunosuke said as he put the last plate to dry. "Did he tell you where our family comes from?"

Caitlin nodded no. "I always assumed Tokyo. He said something about having relatives there."

"His aunt, his mom's sister, lives in Tokyo. Her side of the family is originally from Osaka. Her family name is Nakachi. Meanwhile, we Rishihara's," he said as he pointed to himself, "are from Kyoto. Though only distant relatives from my side live there now."

Caitlin was intrigued by the information. She had never known where her friend's family was from. "So why did Ryuto choose to live in Tokyo?"

Ryunosuke let out a sigh. "His relationship with his cousin was strained for a long time, so he did not want to live close to him, in Kyoto. Plus, he had a good relationship with his aunt, uncle, and cousin in Tokyo."

Now she understood why Ryuto had been so gloomy when Kagami had left Central City. Not only was he hurting because his best friend had disappeared, but his relationship to one of his cousins had changed. "Are they on better terms now?"

A smile crept onto Ryunosuke's face. "Yep. It was just like when he was younger. They met through basketball and fixed it through basketball. I was there for it too, it was nice to see it happen."

Caitlin smiled and returned to her food, completely forgetting why she was sad in the first place.

—

As Caitlin walked back to her home, she glanced at the time. It was soon to be 9:30, so it was already 11 am in Tokyo. CCHS had another game at 6:30, but for her it would've been at 4:30 am. She looked at her phone again, no new messages.

Her mind drifted to when she had daydreamed a phone call from Ryuto, that had been embarrassing. She pushed those thoughts aside and she focused on what Ryunosuke had said to her: one of his closest bonds were made through basketball and repaired by the sport. She wondered how she had become friends with the grey-haired boy. They met through Cisco, who she had partnered with for a science project and they became friends quickly after. He had introduced her to the two Japanese boys with peculiar hair colors. She dismissed Kagami's as it was red and that was normal, though rare for a Japanese boy, but Ryuto's had really caught her attention. His mess of smokey-grey hair and light-blue eyes caught her attention the moment she saw them. However, from there their relationship had becomes less of her being curious about him and more just liking the person he was; a boy that loved basketball.

As she passed the park with a basketball court, she saw a lone ball in the middle of it. She wondered of the boys that had been playing before hand had left it. She walked over to the court and picked up the ball. As she picked it up, she felt that that ball was not in the best condition. The leather had mostly worn off and it was smooth to the touch.

She glanced at the hoop and imagined her friends all playing one of their many three on three's. She smiled at the memory. Caitlin walked up to the free throw line and looked towards the ball in her hand.

 _Put one hand on the backside of the ball, right in front of your face,_ Ryuto's voice said in the back of her mind. _Place the other one on the side. Now, as you move the ball to about your forehead, bend your knees. Jump and release._

Caitlin followed the words her friend said to her a long time and released the ball. The ball sailed through the air and bounced off the front of the rim. Caitlin frowned, she could Ryuto's laughter in the back of her mind.

 _Just put a bit more power into the release and next time you'll make it,_ Ryuto's voice said.

Caitlin picked up the ball and returned to the free throw line. She repeat the same sequence as before and released. This time the ball bounced off the backboard and into the hoop. Caitlin smiled as she jogged over to pick up the ball.

 _I'm sure you'd be smiling right now,_ Caitlin thought as she set up to shoot again.

 **AN: So, tell me, was this nongame chapter good or bad? I hope it wasn't too different, but different enough to make it good. The reason for this different nongame chapter was to diversify the story a bit as well as get the perspective of a nonbasketball player (Plus, I was running out of ideas for the Tokyo excursions). This chapter marks the return of Cadence (again, she is owned by DarkElements10. Go check her out too). I thought it would be fun t bring her back so I hope you enjoyed that part. Now, stay tuned for the next chapter and remember to follow, favorite, and/or review if you haven't already. Also, I have a Twitter (link in bio) you can follow me there to get updates on stories as well as other stuff I post there.**


	16. Chapter 15

**AN: Finally with a new chapter. This one was fun to write, so I hope you enjoy it! Remember, I do NOT own Flash or Kuroko no Basket. Just the plot and my character.**

Chapter 15

Flash Freeze

Snart sat on his bed examining his basketball shoes. He made sure they were spotless and perfectly uniform. He had made it a routine to inspect his shoes, as he did not want anything affecting his game. That Sunday morning was the same as every other morning that he had a game. His shoes were a navy blue color with a light blue line running through the center. He had worn the same style since he was young, for him, everything had to uniform. That's why he was not a fan of the CCHS uniform, the red and yellow did not match his shoes. However, he would never said that out loud.

What was loud, was Mick's snoring on the bed next to him. Snart glanced over to his friend and grimaced. He was so loud when he slept. Snart tried to block out the noise and concentrate, but whenever there was a lapse in snores, Mick would let out one that louder than the previous one. Snart rolled his eyes and set down his shoes. He was always surprised that the alarms he would set, would not wake him up. A groaning sound rang out through the room, Mick's natural alarm clock.

Mick stirred awake and began to groan as he sat up. His half awake eyes darted around the hotel room, trying to find something.

"You ate everything last night," Snart drawled.

"Then I need some food, is the hotel still serving breakfast?" Mick asked gruffly.

"Nope, closes at 11," Snart answered.

"I need some goddamn food." Mick threw off the blanket and jumped off the bed. He grabbed a shirt and a pair of jeans and hastily put them on.

"If you're going out, I recommend you shower," Snart said, glaring at him. "I'll show you a pretty good place that's near by."

"You know I don't speak Chinese," Mick said, pointing at Snart.

Snart rolled his eyes and sighed. "It's Japanese."

"Whatever," Mick said as he slammed the door of the bathroom shut.

As the water turned on, Snart let his mind drift to tonight's game. It was bound to be their toughest as well as his. He was up against, arguably, the best player in Japan. However, he knew it was not really his fight; it was his captain's. Barry had had his eyes on Tōō's ace the moment he found out about him. Barry had said to him that despite playing different positions, he and Aomine had similar play styles. Snart had to be honest with himself, he was right. Aomine was too fast and agile for him to compete with. Even if he could freeze him in place, no doubt he could close their gap in an instant. He remembered what Tetsuya had told him last night when they went out again, that Aomine was someone who took all five of the Seirin players to defeat, and Ryuto had been in the Zone.

"Hey, you gonna keep day dreaming or are we gonna get food?" Mick's voice asked.

Snart blinked rapidly as he was taken out from his thoughts. "Sure. I know a sushi place that Tetsuya showed me." Snart stood up, put on his shoes, and walked out of their hotel room.

—-

Mick growled as he could not handle the chopsticks. Snart tried his best to stifle his laughter, while apologizing profusely to the people around him for the brute's rudeness.

"Mick you need to calm down. The locals won't think too kindly of us if you keep growling like an animal," Snart said in a hushed tone.

"How does anyone eat with these things?!" Mick asked as he snapped the sticks in two.

"Because its normal here," Snart said, as he turned to apologize again. He began to rub his forehead as he shifted from calm and collected to embarrassment. _This was a bad idea._

 _—-_

Hours later, the CCHS team sat in the locker room; preparing for their game. Each of them were doing their own thing to keep their nerves in check. Snart glanced around the room, the tension palpable, each of the starters had an individual opponent to beat. Snart turned his gaze to Barry, he seemed to be the most relaxed out of all of them, but the rapid tapping of his foot was a give away that he was nervous. Snart sighed and walked over to his captain.

"Allen, you need to relax. You can't lead us if you're so apprehensive," Snart said, putting a hand on his hip.

Barry looked up and smiled. Snart rose an eyebrow, unsure as to why Barry was smiling. "I'm not nervous, I'm excited. Playing against Daiki, I can finally go all out." Out of Barry's eye came a spark of red orange. Snart let out a sigh.

"You do know I'm marking him. You don't play power forward," Snart said.

"I know that, but either way I don't think anything is going to stop him from going up against me," Barry said, standing up.

Snart could see it in his eyes, the drive to play his hardest; something he never truly had. Basketball had always been an escape for him. A way to escape his broken household. The drive to win and to get better was something he never cared for, the team was strong and rarely lost. The last two games were a real shock to him, a loss and a tie game. Maybe that was what was driving him to keep playing, wanting to make up for the last two games.

Snart let out a breath and shrugged his shoulders. "If things get too rough for me, I'll hand him over to you."

"Hey!" Barry reached out and put his hand on Snart's shoulder. "Don't sell yourself short. As long as you can read him, I'm sure defending him will be easy."

Snart glanced over to the hand placed on his shoulder and removed it. "I know that the only one who can take on Daiki is you."

Snart turned away from the team captain and sat down where he had been previously. Before Barry could say anything, Coach Wells and Stein entered the locker room and everyone turned their attention to them.

—-

The Seirin team settled into their seats in the stands, waiting for both teams to walk onto the court. The tension in the stands was obvious, after a loss and a tie the American team did not seem as invincible as they were made out to be. As for the Seirin team, they were more concerned that after this game, they would play the Americans in the last game of the exhibition matches. Ryuto, Kagami, and Kuroko sat together, each wondering what this game would be like, both teams were fundamentally different in play styles, but they were still strong.

 _Barry, I know you're itching to play Aomine and so is he, but what will you do when he goes into the Zone? I could barely keep up with him. I hate to admit it, but he may be faster than even you_ , Ryuto thought.

Not long after, both teams walked onto the court and there was a roar of applause from the crowd. Most were chanting Tōō's name, but every so often, you could hear someone cheering for CCHS. Ryuto looked towards Tōō and the whole team was present, including Aomine. He could tell Aomine was excited for the match as he seemed like he already warmed up. He shifted his gaze towards CCHS, an he quickly noticed that Barry was staring down Aomine and from the looks if it Aomine was doing it too.

Both teams set up for warm ups and on the court, Barry and Aomine were still staring each other down.

"It seems that Aomine has found a foreign rival," a voice said behind them.

Seirin turned back to see Seijūrō walking down the steps to open seat in front of them.

"Akashi-kun," Kuroko said with a hint of surprise.

Seijūrō bowed slightly. "Hello, Seirin. It's nice to see you all again."

"I thought you were heading back to Kyoto. Finals are soon for Rakuzan right?" Ryuto asked.

"Trsut me, Ryuto, finals are not of concern for me," Seijūrō said sitting down. "Plus, I don't want to miss the games."

Ryuto shrugged. "That's a good a reason as any."

—

On the court, Aomine smirked and turned away from the CCHS team. Barry and Snart watched as the power forward picked up a ball and his teammates left the basket to attack. Aomine sprinted towards the basket and slammed the ball into the hoop. If the basket were an old one, the rim would have likely broken. Aomine hung on the hoop for a few seconds before landing. He turned to the two Americans and smirked again, clearly inviting a challenge.

Snart turned to Barry, who also had an excited smile on his face. Barry mumbled something under his breath and turned to the basket. Snart took a few steps back and the rest of the team followed suit. Barry let out a breath and focused on the basket. He then sprinted and jumped, also slamming the ball into the basket. When he landed, the two teen stared at each other with both excitement and challenging the other. Snart knew he had to get out of their way, for this game he would play small forward.

After a few more minutes of warm ups, the buzzer rang and both teams returned to their benches. Snart sat with the usual starters. He glanced over to Barry again, still with that look in his eyes.

"That's the game plan. Focus on defending Daiki, so play tighter and don't venture too far out the three point line. If push comes to shove, Barry and Snart will double team him," Coach Wells explained.

"Daiki's the threat, contain him at all costs," Coach Stein summarized.

"Right!" the five said in unison.

The buzzer sounded again and both teams stood up to start the game.

"Snart," a voice said behind him.

Snart looked back to see Coach Wells pushing up his glasses. The reflection from the ceiling lights caused for his eyes to be blocked out. "Daiki is going to be your responsibility on defense. Don't let him get the ball."

Snart nodded and followed his teammates onto the court.

The two teams lined up and greeted each other. Snart stood in front of Aomine who dismissed him without a second thought and kept his focus on Barry.

"You can at least acknowledge me," Snart said with an annoyed tone.

Aomine turned his gaze back towards Snart, surprised that the teen had spoken in Japanese. A semblance of smile formed on his face.

"So, I can trash talk you in my native language, that makes things easier," Aomine said.

"Doesn't mean I can't return it," Snart said turning away.

Both teams got into position for the jump ball, waiting to start the match. The air was tense as both teams watched as the referee moved in between the two centers. The court seemed deathly silent. Up in the stands, Ryuto gripped the arm rest of his seat tighter and tighter. The referee tossed the ball into the air and Diggle and Wakamatsu jumped for it and Diggle managed to win, and sent the ball directly towards Barry.

As Barry touched the ball, he quickly brought it to his side and sprinted down the court; leaving everyone in his wake. Aomine turned to catch up, but found that Barry was already jumping for a dunk. Barry slammed the ball into basket. When he landed, the crowd erupted in cheers.

Seijūrō meanwhile was left stunned, his eyes were wide. "So…so fast. He didn't go that fast during our game."

Back on the court, Aomine smiled wide. "I wanted to face you at your best. You better have more."

Barry smiled too and started his jog towards defense. Snart, meanwhile, could not help but feel over shadowed by the display of power. As he got into position, he could see Aomine also in position in front of him.

 _I need to play this right. If I make a mistake he'll just blow right past me,_ Snart thought.

Out of the corner of his eye, Snart could see Barry loosen his defense on Susa, Tōō's small forward. _Making sure you can pick up my slack,_ Snart thought making him slightly annoyed. Snart noticed how Aomine did not even bother to get into an offensive stance or in any way to support his teammates.

"You're probably thinking why I'm just standing and the answer is simple, you can't beat me," Aomine said. He said it with absolute certainty and Snart knew that he was right. Just as Aomine finished his sentence, he caught a pass and got into an offensive position. He then began to dribble at an incredibly fast pace. Snart tried to keep his eyes on the ball, but that proved to be the distraction that Aomine needed to break past. Snart managed to recover quick enough to get in front of the blue haired teen, but with a quick spin move, Aomine got around Snart's defense. Snart turned to try and stop him, but Aomine was already close to the basket. Diggle and Barry jumped to block the shot, but Aomine leaned back, and was practically parallel to the ground, and released. The ball sailed over the hands of the defenders and into the hoop.

"There it is! Aomine's formless shot!" people from the crowd screamed.

Snart tightened the grip of his fist. How was he supposed to stop someone that made a shot parallel to the ground? It seemed impossible to him. Not only that, but his movements were too fast for him to keep up with. He glanced over to Barry who had smile on his face. _No, he's my opponent. I have to find a way to beat him_. He then jogged over to offense.

Up in the stands, Ryuto watched as both teams traded shots. It caught him by surprise that Snart was defending Aomine and not Barry.

"The person defending Aomine has no chance at stopping him. Allen would have a better chance," Seijūrō said as he crossed his arms.

"Well, you're not wrong," Hyuga agreed.

"I was wondering why Allen-san wasn't defending Aomine-kun," Riko added.

"Barry can match Aomine's speed, but not his maneuverability," Ryuto said.

Just as he finished his sentence, Aomine scored a dunk over Diggle. The group glanced over to the score and were surprised to find it as close as it was; 28-24, with Tōō leading.

On the court, Oliver scored a three bring the score to a one point difference. As the team jogged to defense, Oliver and Barry fist bumped. Since the match against Shutoku, Oliver was more willing to work with others, even if he still did have a tendency to do things himself.

"We'll stop them here and score!" Barry called out.

"Yeah!" his teammates said in unison.

Snart got into position, defending Aomine. Snart closed the defense gap and guarded closer to Aomine in order to keep him from getting the ball. Aomine scoffed and stood up straight. Snart glanced over to the point guard, Imayoshi, and saw him send a pass towards their timid shooting guard, Sakurai. As soon as the boy caught it, he released while yelling he was sorry. The boy scored, but Snart was more curious as to why Sakurai said he was sorry.

 _Moreover, that release of his is super quick. He just catches it and jumps,_ Snart thought.

"You shouldn't focus on others if you want to beat me," Aomine said as he turned away.

Snart watched the teen jog away. He tightened his grip even more as his frustration grew. On offense, Cisco passed the ball towards Snart. He caught the ball and got into an offensive stance. As Aomine was guarding Barry, Snart was up against Susa. Snart crossed over causing Susa to be frozen in place. Snart drove towards the basket, he then faked a pass to Diggle causing Wakamatsu to fall for it. Snart went for a lay up, but Aomine appeared and slapped the ball from his hands. Snart's eyes widened, he knew Aomine was fast, but he was fast enough to stop his lay up. Susa caught the loose ball and threw it towards Imayoshi. However, before Imayoshi could catch it, Barry zoomed in front of him and caught the pass.

Barry landed and broke into a sprint. He easily weaved past his defenders and jumped for a dunk. However, Aomine jumped up and blocked the shot. Barry tried to force his way past Aomine's block, but Aomine proved to be stronger and pushed the ball out of Barry's hand. Aomine landed and broke into a sprint. Snart saw what he was going for a followed him. The blue-haired teen slowed down in order to catch the pass, giving Snart the chance to overtake him. The teen got into position and readied himself for Aomine's attack.

Aomine found Snart guarding him and let out a sigh. He quickened the pace of his dribble and quickly drove to the right. Snart moved to defend, but Aomine spun around and went left. Snart tried to change direction, but he stumbled over his own feet and fell to the ground. Snart started to stand, and as he did, Barry ran past him and jumped to stop Aomine's dunk.

"I need to pay you back from when you stopped me!" Barry said.

Aomine smirked and brought the ball behind his back. Just as he released, Barry collided with him and Aomine tossed the ball from behind his back. The referee blew his whistle as the ball bounced off the rim and into the hoop. The two boys landed and Aomine gave Barry a smug smile.

"Dammit," Barry muttered.

Snart got to his knees and he punched the ground in frustration. _I can't stop this guy. I can barely slow him down._ Snart looked up towards Aomine, he was standing at the free throw line, waiting to shoot. For Snart, he felt as if the teen towered over him and he radiated an intense aura. _This is the strength of the ace of the Generation of Miracles_.

Aomine scored his free throw and the game resumed, but it only lasted a few seconds as the buzzer sounded, ending the quarter; however, CCHS managed to get one final point thanks to Oliver scoring a three. The quarter ended with a score of 34-27.

The CCHS players sat down on the bench and drank water. Snart could feel himself panting heavier than normal. He had never overexerted himself during games. He always made sure that he was giving enough effort to stop his opponent. However, now he was up against someone who made him exert more just to keep up. Snart glanced over to Barry, who seemed to never lose his smile.

"Hey, Snart, stop looking like you just pissed yourself," Mick's gruff voice rang out.

Snart could not help but let out a chuckle. "Fuck off, Mick." Snart looked up to see Mick standing in front of him with his arms crossed, looking towards him with his typical scowl.

Mick shrugged. "Don't know, but it looks that way to me."

Snart rolled his eyes. He was getting a semblance of a pep talk from Mick.

"Hey, Snart," Barry called out.

Snart turned towards his captain.

"If you need help with Daiki, just call out. My guy isn't all that much."

Snat nodded as the buzzer sounded. The CCHS players stood up and got ready for the next quarter.

—

The second quarter proved to be just as difficult for Sanrt. Aomine seemed to be getting faster and there was nothing the American team could do about it. Whenever Aomine would got for the basket, he was always able to outmaneuver his defenders.

Sanrt placed his hands on his knees as he panted. Sweat dripped off his forehead onto the floor. Aomine was pushing him to try to keep up. He used his shirt to wipe down his face and jogged for offense. He glanced at the scoreboard; 50-32 and Aomine had scored most of the points. Snart knew what Tōō was doing, they were using Aomine's strength to crush CCHS's spirit before slowing down the pace of the game. CCHS had a similar strategy, but it did not rely on brute strength so much.

At the three point line, Cisco scanned the defense. He was about to send a pass to the middle, but his vision shifted and he saw that Wakamatsu would intercept the pass. Cisco corrected himself and sent the pass towards Barry. As Barry got into position, so did Aomine.

Aomine had a smile on his face as he waited for Barry to make a move. "Come on, you gotta do better if you want to beat me."

Barry smiled and started to dribble at a fast pace. He then crossed over to his left and Aomine followed, but in a quick motion, Barry brought the ball back to his right hand and broke free from Aomine. However, Barry did not get far as Aomine was able to close the distance quickly. Barry grumbled and stopped his advance. He saw out of the corner of his eye that Oliver had broken free from his mark. Barry shifted his body and sent the ball towards the blonde. Oliver caught the ball and set up for a shot. Oliver jumped and released, the ball sailed in its usual straight line and bounced off the backboard and into the basket; CCHS would slowly catch up.

Snart watched the backs of his teammates. He knew they had the ability to keep up with Aomine, and if he was being honest to himself, he knew he did not. He glanced at the scoreboard again, there three minutes left in the quarter and he had to do something to keep Aomine contained.

Just as CCHS got into position, the buzzer sounded for a timeout. The Americans looked towards their bench and saw that Coach Wells had been the one to call it. Both teams jogged off the court and used the time to catch their breaths while their coaches went over their game plan.

"We don't need to change anything. Just keep doing what you're doing and we'll win," Coach Harasawa, Tōō's coach, said.

The players sitting on the bench nodded and began to converse amongst themselves.

"Honestly, the only reason we're ahead is because their power forward is guarding Aomine. The guy can barely contain him," one player said.

"Yeah totally. They should just have the fast guy guarding him," another player added as he let out a laugh.

Aomine largely ignored their comments, but he knew what they were saying was right. He glanced over towards the Americans and his gaze fell on Snart. He began to wonder if he could truly stand up to him.

On CCHS's bench, only Coach Wells spoke as he devised a plan to beat Tōō; or at least close the score gap.

"Snart," Wells's voice called out.

Snart looked up to see Coach Wells looking towards him with a neutral expression; but everyone on the team knew it meant he was disappointed.

"I want you to change marks with Barry. Clearly you can't keep up with him."

"Yes, Coach. Though that's what I've been saying," Snart said with his finals words being a murmur.

Wells narrowed his gaze and Snart did not say another word.

The buzzer sounded signaling the end of the timeout and both teams walked onto the court.

"Barry," Coach Wells said.

"Yes, Coach?"

"I didn't want you to face Daiki so early."

Barry smiled. "Don't worry, I can finally go head to head against him."

When the game resumed, Imayoshi dribbled the ball at the three point line and carefully observed his opponents. He could see that Oliver and Snart had changed marks and wondered why it had taken so long.

"Oi, oi, you're defense looks a bit different," Imayoshi said with a sly smile.

"We have to make adjustments if we're going to win," Cisco replied.

Imayoshi rose an eyebrow. "Is that so."

Imayoshi then stopped his dribble and set up for a shot. Cisco jumped to block, but noticed that Imayoshi never left the ground.

"My, my, you people are so easy to read."

Imayoshi then passed the ball to Aomine, who caught it and positioned himself to attack the basket. Barry moved to defend and was ready for Aomine's next move.

"Now's when I can have some real fun," Aomine said as a smile came to his face.

Aomine then picked up the speed of his dribble and in two quick movements he managed to break past Barry; while Barry tripped over himself and fell to the ground.

Barry looked back to see that Aomine was stopped from scoring a lay up, but as he jumped behind the basket, he threw the ball upwards. The ball sailed over the backboard and fell through the hoop scoring a point.

Barry's jaw fell to the floor, along with the other CCHS players. _Not only are his movements unpredictably fast, but he can score from anywhere. Now I know why Snart was finding it difficult._

Up in the stands, Ryuto watched closely as Barry defended Aomine and how the Americans slowly learned just how different they were.

"Aomine and Barry's speed are different. Barry is fast with a more orthodox play style. While Aomine's speed comes from his days playing streetball," Ryuto said aloud to no one in particular.

"If I'm being honest with myself, Aomine is the hardest to win against in a one-on-one," Seijūrō added.

"I told Snart-san that when we played Tōō and Aomine-kun that it took the five on the court to beat him. Even with Ryuto-kun's Zone it was difficult," Kuroko said.

"You're not wrong there," Kagami agreed.

On the court, Barry jumped for a dunk, but Aomine was ready to defend him. Aomine jumped to block the ball and with his superior strength he was able to push the ball out of Barry's hands. Luckily, Diggle caught the loose ball and sent it towards Oliver. The blonde set up for a shot and released, scoring a three.

Snart, meanwhile, watched as his teammates pushed themselves to score. There was only thirty seconds left in the quarter, Tōō was still in the lead. However, the score gap had been shortened to only four points. Snart could still not understand why they were pushing themselves part their limits. Tōō play style was meant to overwhelm their opponents with strength and it was proving effective against them. He tightened the grip of his fist and jogged to defense.

On defense, CCHS's defense tightened in order to try and get a loose ball. However, Sakurai managed to break free from Oliver's defense and called out for a pass. As he caught the ball and set for his release, he saw Oliver's hand obscure his line of sight. Sakurai released the ball, but it was met with Oliver's hand and was sent to the floor. Cisco picked up the loose ball and threw it down the court towards Barry.

Barry caught the ball, but Aomine had used the moment to over take Barry. Aomine got into a defensive stance, ready to stop the American. However, with a quick behind the back crossover, Barry avoided Aomine's defense, causing the teen's eyes to widen in surprise.

The crowd roared, amazed at how Barry was able to avoid Aomine with his speed. Ryuto and Kagami, meanwhile, smiled as they had seen Barry use that move before.

As Barry jogged to defense, he high fived Cisco and fist bumped Oliver. On the inbound, Tōō gave the ball to Aomine and CCHS prepared themselves for what came next. Aomine sprinted down the court, carefully avoiding defenders with quick movements and crossover; he even caused Cisco to trip over himself. He avoided Diggle with a spin move and he jumped for a dunk. As he went to slam the ball into the hoop, a hand appeared to stop him.

Aomine glanced down to see Snart jumping to block him, and Aomine was surprised. He tried to force his away against Snart's block, but the American was putting a lot more effort into his defense.

"I won't let you score!"

In one final push, Snart managed to fully block Aomine; causing the Japanese teen's eyes to widen. He looked towards Snarts face and saw determination etched onto it, a stark contrast to his expression when he was defending him.

Oliver had caught the loose ball and released a shot from where he was standing. Just as the ball left his hands, the buzzer sounded. The ball sailed in a straight line, bounced off the back board, and into the hoop. Oliver looked towards the referee, who blew his whistle and counted the shot; CCHS had taken the lead.

As Snart walked over to his teammates, he could see Aomine glaring at him. His glare then shifted to an excited smile.

"I want to see more of that," Aomine said as he turned away.

Before Snart could respond, his teammates began to congratulate him for managing to block Aomine; something no one had been able to do yet.

"I did what I had to do. Seeing you guys going all out, kinda made me feel like I was letting you guys down."

Cisco nodded. "Now I know we can win!"

The five on the court laughed and began to walk towards their bench. Then they walked off the court towards the locker rooms for halftime.

—-

Snart rapidly tapped his foot. He felt as if his adrenaline had spiked past their usual level. The block played out in his mind over and over, and it always finished on Aomine's smile. He glanced down at the hand he had used to block the shot the red had since faded away. However, the sensation of it remained and every time he thought about it a smile came to his face.

He looked up towards his teammates, all of there were talking amongst themselves and Snart could not pick up on their conversations. Coach Wells and Coach Stein had yet to enter the locker room to form a game plan for the next half.

Despite everything going on around him, Snart's thoughts were plagued by one thought. He had been thinking about it since the game began. Snart closed his hand into a fist and shot from his seat.

"How do you guys do it?"

All the conversations in the locker room ceased and all eyes turned towards Snart.

"What do you mean?" Cisco asked.

"How can you guys keep pushing yourselves when the opponent is clearly so much stronger?"

Cisco turned towards Barry, who never took his eyes off of Snart.

Barry took a step forwards and Snart turned towards him.

"Isn't that the reason to push yourself?"

Snart blinked in confusion, unsure of what Barry was asking.

"If you want to beat someone stronger than you, you have to push yourself. It's the only way you can improve by going that extra mile," Barry explained.

"But where does all that extra effort leave you?! Just look at Garrick and Raymond! Both of them are injured. Hell, Raymond can't even touch a basketball court anymore!" Snart yelled as he pointed at Ronnie.

Barry turned towards Ronnie, who turned his head away and looked towards the floor.

"Yes, they did get injured," Barry said as he turned back to face Snart, "but they were able to compete against those stronger than them. Snart, I know you only give enough effort to barely compete, but, just now you put the extra effort to block Aomine."

Snart turned away from Barry. "Tch. You say those things, yet applying them is something completely different."

"You gotta stop being so analytical," Cisco said as he stood up.

Snart's eyes darted to Cisco. Cisco swallowed nervously, he knew Snart could put on an intimidating face.

"We've always said you have the mind of a point guard and you analyze everything in order to make a judged decision. But pushing yourself is being able to react to something in the moment," Cisco added.

"Snart," Barry said as he placed a hand on Snart's shoulder, "I know love basketball. You just got to prove it to yourself."

—

In stands, Seirin and Seijūrō commented on the first half, pointing out how both teams now seemed to be evenly matched. Ryuto placed a hand on his chin in a pensive state. He processed all that had transpired. Snart's block in particular kept replaying in his mind.

 _Snart managed to block Aomine. The look on his face though, I've never seen him make it._

 _Flashback_

Ryuto grabbed the bottle of water next to his bag and began to drink. The practice was a bit more intense then the usual and it was taking a toll on him. He removed the bottle from his lips and used his shirt sleeve to wipe them. He set down his water bottle and started to jog back onto the court.

Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Snart sitting against a wall. He looked as if there was not a drop of sweat on him. Ryuto rolled his eyes and let out a low groan. He turned towards the boy and walked towards him.

"What do you want, Captain?" Snart drawled.

"Practicing hard?" Ryuto said.

Snart rose an eyebrow. "Is that mockery in your voice?"

"Sarcasm," Ryuto responded. "Why does it feel like you don't practice hard?"

Snart shrugged. "'Cause I don't."

"Wow," Ryuto blinked in surprise, "I was not expecting that."

"What can I say," Snart said as he slid up the wall to stand, "I'm nothing but honest."

Snart put his hands in his pockets and walked onto the court, just as the coach called for everyone to reconvene.

"When will you ever take something seriously?" Ryuto asked.

Snart shrugged again. "Maybe when I care enough."

 _End Flashback_

—-

 _Is this when I start to care?_

Snart froze Susa in place and attacked the basket. He then faked the pass to Diggle and scored a lay up.

The third quarter had begun and there were seven minutes left in it. CCHS wanted to increase their lead, but doing that was much harder than saying it. On offense, Tōō proved how anyone on their team could score. The score was tied at 65 at for each shot one team made, the other would score it right back.

Snart watched as Barry defended Aomine, but his quick maneuvers were too much for even him to handle. Snart had tried to block Aomine again, but he simply repositioned the ball and shot from an odd angle.

 _How was I able to block him before?_

Snart jogged to offense and, once again, it was a face off between Aomine and Barry.

"I will break past you," Barry said.

Aomine smiled. "Come on! Show me what you got!"

Barry quickened the pace of his dribble, but to everyone's surprise Barry pushed the ball in one direction and he went the other. Aomine's eyes widened in surprise, it had been a long time since he had seen such a move. However, he knew how to stop it as he had used it before. Aomine followed Barry rather than the ball, however, Barry pivoted and spun around Aomine catching the crossover.

 _It's just like how Ryu did it,_ Aomine thought as the memory of the Winter cup game against Seirin played in his mind.

Aomine turned around but found the Barry was already scoring a lay up. Despite his surprise, he was still smiling.

In the stands, Ryuto's jaw had dropped to the floor. Watching Barry use that move was not something he was expecting.

"Amazing, the fluidity in that move was similar to yours, Ryuto," Seijūrō said turing towards his cousin.

Ryuto nodded. "Yeah. I only used the move once. Barry managing to do it is impressive."

Ryuto placed a hand on his chin and began to think. He wondered if Barry had studied his match against Aomine or it was just pure coincidence that he managed to do a move so similar to his. Ryuto leaned forwards in his chair, now more focused on the game than before. He had to make sure he knew every detail about them.

The third quarter continued to be a battle between Aomine and Barry, with the other players on the court scoring in between. As the one minute mark passed, the score had soared to an even 80. Sanrt panted, with his hands on his knees, as he waited for Aomine to take his foul shots. During the last play, Barry tried to block him, but ended up colliding with the teen.

Aomine made both free throws with ease and the game resumed. Snart glanced over to Barry, he could see the determination to win etched onto his face.

 _He's really fired up._ Snart glanced at the other players and could see that all of them had a similar expression as Barry; the determination to win.

Snart tightened the grip of his fist and gritted his teeth. What was holding him back from feeling that way. He giving more effort than he usually did, so why did he feel like he was being left behind.

Snart was broken out of his thoughts as the buzzer rang signaling the end of the quarter. Snart let out a breath and walked over to the bench.

 _The final quarter,_ Snart thought.

In his subconscious, Snart drowned, yet he did not feel like he was actually drowning. He was floating underwater with a dark abyss beneath him. He felt as if he was being pushed upwards yet also downwards. He turned and faced the dark abyss. At the very bottom, he could see a light in the shape of a door. He was being pushed down towards it, he could feel it calling out to him. However, something kept him from falling.

 _Snart!_ A voice called out.

Snart looked to his side and saw a shape swimming towards him. The water was dark and he could not see who it was, just their silhouette. Then the figure dove downwards, towards the light at the bottom. Snart tried to call out to the person, but his voice did not leave his throat.

"Snart!"

Snart's head shot upwards and he blinked a few times as his eyes adjusted to the light. Snart could see Cisco and Mick looking towards him. Cisco had a concerned look on his face while Mick seemed to not be the least bit interested.

"You okay? It looked like you were drowning, the way you were gasping for air," Cisco asked.

"I'm fine," Snart said with a dismissive wave. "Nothing you should be concerned with."

The buzzer sounded signaling the start of the quarter. "Let's finish this," Snart said as he stood up.

The forth quarter started with a bang, with Aomine scoring a dunk. The dunk sent the crowd into a frenzy as they cheered on Tōō's strength. However, a three from the opposite side of the court promptly quieted them down.

"He isn't the only one who can score in a flash fashion," Oliver said.

"It was just a three," Diggle mumbled.

Oliver ignored the comment and prepared for defense.

As the game progressed, the score kept climbing, despite all the steals and blocked shots. Snart wiped sweat from his forehead during an inbound. He could easily see both teams were nearing their limits, but Barry and Aomine were a different story. They both seemed to have energy to spare.

 _Damn, how can those two keep going,_ Snart thought.

Snart glanced over to Barry again, the air around him seemed different. It felt heavier and he seemed to be radiating strength, similar to Aomine.

After another dunk from Aomine, CCHS prepared for the inbound. As Snart passed the ball to Cisco, Barry asked for the ball. Cisco and Snart looked at each other. Snart shrugged and Cisco passed the ball to Barry.

"Thanks, I'll breath through with a single move."

As Barry finished his sentence, his eyes sparked as red-orange color.

"Wait a sec, Barry!" Cisco called out.

Barry did not listen and sprinted down the court, a trail of lightning in his wake. Barry maneuvered past everyone in his way in quick, precise movements. As he passed Aomine, he could feel Aomine's surprise. He then dunked over Wakamatsu and the gym went silent.

In the stands, Ryuto was slow to get to his feet, but the surprise on his face was an indicator something had happened.

"He's in," Ryuto and Seijūrō said at the same time.

On the court, Barry let go of the rim and landed. He turned towards everyone revealing the red-orange lightning in his eyes. Everyone let out gasps of surprise at his reveal. Barry was in the Zone.

"Come on, Daiki, show me what you got!"

Aomine smiled and closed his eyes. "I've been waiting." Aomine opened his eyes and an indigo lightning appeared in his eyes.

"Battle of the Zone," Ryuto muttered.

On the bench, Wells watched with astonishment and excitement. He looked towards his clipboard at Barry's stat sheet and smiled. _You've fully unlocked it Barry. You're now the strongest player on this court._ Wells looked back towards the court and was surprised to see Barry stumble in his defense and allowed Aomine to get through. _You still have much to learn, though._ Wells wrote something down on the clipboard and set it aside. He had stopped clicking his pen.

The battle between the two teens in the Zone had intensified. Despite Barry's being Barry's first time in the Zone, he managed to keep pace with the far more experienced Aomine.

 _Incredible, watching two players battle it out in the Zone from this perspective. On the court they seem invisible, but from up here you can barely keep up,_ Ryuto thought.

Barry blocked on of Aomine's formless shots and when landed he sprinted down the court for a pass with Aomine close on his tail. He caught the pass and went up for the dunk, but he was met by Aomine's hand. Aomine overpowered Barry and pushed the ball out of his hands and it rolled out of bounds.

 _These guys are monsters, but playing with one and against another it such a thrilling feeling,_ Snart thought with a smile forming on his face.

In his subconscious, Snart sunk to the bottom of the abyss and was faced with a door that was frozen over. _I understand now, what it means to give it your all._ Snart chuckled to himself. _I guess he was right, I do love basketball._ The frozen door cracked and started to open.

With two minutes left in the game, Aomine managed to avoid Barry's defense and his movements caused Barry to stumble. As Barry began to stand, he felt someone run past him. Aomine jumped for a dunk, but was completely blocked. The ball sailed to the out of bounds again. As the two landed, Aomine got a look at who had blocked him and was surprised to find Snart standing in front of him. Aomine rose an eyebrow, surprised he was the one to block him.

"I believe I told you, I wasn't going to let you score," Snart said.

He then looked up, revealing the icy blue lighting in his eyes.

Aomine let out a low chuckle. "I'm surprised you unlocked it too. Now I'm really fired up."

"No way! Two of them! Two of the American's are in the Zone!" people from the crowd shouted.

"Snart's in the Zone?" Kagami said in disbelief.

"Amazing, Snart-san," Kuroko said with a small smile.

"Both of them! Barry I understand, but Snat is a surprise," Ryuto add. _Tomorrow is going to be interesting._

On the court, Aomine looked at both players in the Zone standing in front of him. The blue and red in their eyes was easy to see and it stood out from everything else. _Damn, getting past two is going to tough._

Aomine the pushed the ball in one direction, but his body went the other. However, with their enhanced speed, Snart followed Aomine while Barry went after the ball. Aomine tired to grab the ball again, but Barry had taken it and sprinted down the court. Aomine turned and followed, managing to over take Barry.

"I won't let you past me!"

However, Barry passed the ball to his side to Snart. Barry moved around Aomine and caught a pass from Snart. Barry then jumped up and dunked the ball, putting CCHS ahead 102-100.

Aomine panted and wiped his forehead of sweat. He was happy, happy he could have such a challenge, but he did not want to lose.

"Oi! Ao! Stop sulking!" a voice called out form the stands.

Aomine's head shot up and followed the direction where the voice came from. He could see Ryuto standing up and his hands cupped his mouth to amplify his voice.

"I thought you were going to kick my ass! If you loose now how're you going to beat me!"

Aomine chuckled and stood up straight with his hands on his hips. _He's giving me a pep talk. Wow, I'm lame._

Barry, meanwhile, looked towards Ryuto with a sense of sadness. _He's cheering on them?_ He looked over to Aomine, who seemed to be hiding his embarrassment, then back to Ryuto. His gaze never left the Japanese teen. He tightened the grip to his fist and turned away.

"Come on Snart, we got to finish this," Barry said.

Snart nodded and followed his captain.

In the stands, Ryuto let out a breath and sat down. He could feel all the eyes of his teammates and Seijūrō staring at him. He could feel his sweat drop the longer they stared at him.

"Ao?" Riko asked trying to stifle a laugh.

"It was a nickname I gave him when we were kids. I knew it would get his attention," Ryuto explained.

The others around him began to laugh and even Seijūrō could not help but chuckle. Ryuto sunk into his chair trying to hide from the embarrassing situation around him.

On the court, Aomine was now facing off against two players in the Zone. It proved to be difficult to avoid them both as whenever he broke away from one, the other would be quick to recover.

Snart tried to swipe at the ball, but Aomine avoided it. He then drove to the left to attack the basket. He managed to avoid Barry by quicken his pace and with a simple spin move he dunked over Diggle.

Time continued to wind down with forty seconds left on the clock. The game was tied at 112 and the three in the Zone were nearing their limits. Snart and Barry could feel the Zone both draining their stamina and slowly slip out of it. Aomine felt the same, but knew he could push himself in it a bit further; just enough to take the win. The pace of the game had slowed down, but whenever one in the Zone got the ball, the pace quickened. Snart caught a pass and as Susa positioned himself to defend, Snart quickly froze him in place and got around his defense. Susa tried to turn around, but Snart's Freeze Dribble was lasting longer than usual. Diggle screen Wakamatsu giving Snart an opening to attack. Snart jumped up for a dunk, but Aomine swatted the ball out his hands. Imayoshi caught the ball and threw it down the court to Aomine.

 _Man, these guys truly are monsters,_ Imayoshi thought.

Aomine caught the ball and sprinted down the court. Barry got into a defensive stance waiting for him to advance.

"You're thinking I can't score three's, right?!"

Aomine then came to a complete stop at the three point line. Barry gasped and ran forwards.

"We'll you're wrong."

Aomine jumped and released an open three. However, just as the ball left his hands, Snart's hand managed to swat the ball back down.

"That's pay back for blocking my dunk!"

Aomine's eyes widened in surprise. Barry caught the loose ball and sprinted down the court. Tōō readied themselves to defend, but one by one Barry avoided them. He then jumped and slammed the ball into the basket.

"Hurry! Get the ball for the inbound!" Imayoshi yelled out.

Just Tōō setup for the inbound, and Aomine called out for the pass. Wakamatsu threw the ball down the court and Aomine sprinted to score. With two seconds left, Aomine jumped to dunk, but both Barry and Snart jumped to block him.

"We will beat you!"

With all the strength they had left with the Zone, the two teens pushed the ball out of Aomine's hands.

As the ball hit the ground, the buzzer rang. CCHS had won 114-112.

"Alright!" Snart yelled out.

Then CCHS celebrated their victory as Tōō hung their head in defeat. The three on the court ran over to their teammates and helped them stand. Then they began to cheer together.

Aomine looked towards them and gave a satisfied smile. He walked over to the Americans and their cheering died down.

"Good game," Aomine said, holding out his hand.

Barry and Snart nodded.

"Yeah, you're an incredibly strong player," Barry said, taking his hand.

Aomine turned to Snart. "You surprised me. I hope we can play again."

"You got it," Snart replied.

Aomine nodded and walked back over to his team.

Both teams lined up at half court and bowed, thanking each other for the game. Then the returned to their benches and walked off the court.

In the stands, Ryuto stood up and started to walk towards the exit.

"You guys go on ahead, there's something I need to do," he said in a serious tone.

Everyone nodded as they collected their belongings. Ryuto put his hands in his pockets and walked away from them.

Kuroko and Kagami watched him closely as he walked away, they looked at each other and nodded.

—

After a quick celebration in the locker room, CCHS made their way towards the exit and back to their hotel. As Barry walked along with his team, he could see out of the corner of his eye Ryuto turn the corner behind him.

Barry stopped walking and looked back and saw Ryuto walking down the corridor. He could tell that something was off about him, but he ignored it. However, he also felt as if he should follow him. Barry swallowed saliva and turned back to his teammates.

"Hey, guys, go on ahead. There's something I need to do."

Everyone turned back to their captain. Oliver rose an eyebrow.

"And that is?"

"Bathroom," Barry answered as he pointed in the direction of the corridor. "I know the way back, so there's no need to worry."

"Whatever, just make it quick," Coach Wells said with a sigh.

"See you guys back at the hotel," Barry said as he turned away from the group.

"Cisco, follow him. Make sure he gets back safe," Coach Wells said.

Cisco nodded and quietly followed his friend.

Ryuto walked down the corridor and saw Ryuto was leaning on the wall. His hair covered his eyes, but his expression seemed distant.

"Good game today. I'm surprised you and Snart managed to unlock the Zone," Ryuto said, his voice monotone.

Barry let out a laugh and placed a hand behind his head. "I know, it just all happened so suddenly. But Daiki is really strong, I can see now why your team struggled against them. For a second there, I thought we were gonna lose."

"We play against each other tomorrow," Ryuto said.

Barry nodded. "I'm honestly excited. Playing against you guys is going to be epic."

"You're not getting it Barry!" Ryuto shouted.

Barry then could see Ryuto's eyes, they were the same as his dream. His eyes were a stormy grey and distant. Barry shuddered at the sight, afraid of what Ryuto would say next.

"Tomorrow, on that court, we're scoring on opposing baskets. That makes us enemies."

Barry's heart sank at hearing the words leave his mouth. His eyes did not betray his words. His friend truly thought of him as an enemy.

 **AN: With that this chapter comes to an end. Oh boy, we're getting closer to the end. Speaking of endings, I hope you liked the ending of this game and the chapters overall ending. Don't worry, in the next chapter I'll follow up on that conversation; because it did not end there.I hope you enjoyed this chapter and stay tuned for the next one. Remember to follow, favorite, and/or review if you haven't already!**


	17. OP and ED 2

Voices From The Past Opening 2

Braver by ZAQ

(As the music starts, lightning envelopes a basketball court. The lightning parts down the middle to show Ryuto and Barry standing facing each other at a distance. As the camera closes in, a line appears in front of them and the camera turns towards their faces. The camera zooms in to their eyes and it fades into the split images of Seirin High School and CCHS. The logo of Kuroko's Basketball shimmers in front of the two schools.)

 _Kago no naka wa anzen de zettai na no da to_

 _Souzou sura wasureta sono za ni hikari wa Atannai yo_

(As lightning strikes the logo away, Ryuto appears standing on a streetball court by himself. He's looking away from the camera. The camera shifts to a profile shot and Ryuto looks towards the sky. The scene shifts to Barry also on a streetball court, but he's looking downwards. Something catches his attention and he turns his head to face it, a smile forms at what he sees.)

 _Kibou kataru fuman chirasu_

 _Kakumei no aizu_

 _Dare ni mo oitsukenai tokoro made tsukinuke_

 _Shura o koe itsuka_

(On screen jump out the players from Seirin. Kagami and Kuroko fist bump with a smile then fade away. Hyuga pushes up his glasses, while Izuki hold up one finger as if calling out a play, also fading away. The remaining players all jump into the frame at once, only to be pushed apart by Riko, who smiles. Then, the players of CCHS start to appear. Oliver and Diggle appear side by side, Oliver with his usual cocky smile and Diggle with his arms crossed. Cisco then jumps onto the screen with his eyes blue rather than brown. Snart and Mick appear on screen next. Snart with a bored expression and Mick seeming in different. However, Snart's eyes spark just as he leaves the frame. Then the remaining CCHS players come onto the frame all posing akin to their personalities, but Ronnie had an orange spark in his eyes. The image then shifts to Wells and Stein. Wells in pushing up his glasses while Stein looks over a clipboard. Next to them is Felicity, writing down notes.)

 _Ima ni attouteki na shihai ga boku no nodo O kawakashita to shitemo_

 _Ubawasenai mono wa yume_

 _Moyase zen shinkei no kankaku_

 _Dare ni todoketai ka sura mo wakaranai oto Ni_

 _Igi wa yadoranai_

(Lightning flashes on screen to change the scene. On the court, different movements are happening as the camera moves past them. Izuki passes the ball to Hyuga. Then another pass towards Kagami. Kagami passes to Kuroko, who gets into a position for his Ignite Pass Kai. The pass jets down the court. As the passes are going around, the CCHS players defend Seirin.

 _Hikari o motto hikari o (x3)_

 _Sono itadaki e to_

(Kuroko's Ignite Pass Kai cuts the court in half and is caught by Ryuto. Barry's gets into a defensive stance, but sees the silhouette of a younger Ryuto over the older one. Cut to the lower half of Barry's face as a tear runs down it. Another cut, this time to Barry's eyes, still watered, revealing the red-orange lightning is in his eyes. Cut to Ryuto, who's eyes flash a grey lightning.)

 _Have an obsession for victory_

 _I'm proud of myself and you._

 _We must be the change we wish to see..._

(Returning to the opening shot, Ryuto and Barry walk through the lightning on the court with their teams behind them. Their eyes are shadowed over while the rest of the teams eyes are clearly shown and eager to get started. As the music begins to wind down, a ball is thrown into the air. Barry and Ryuto's heads shoot up and jump for it. When the song finishes, freeze frame of the two boys jumping.)

Voices From The Past Ending 2

Kaze ga Fuku Machi by Luck Life

 _Dakishimete hanasazu ni_

 _Daiji na mono tte ima_

 _Boku wa koko de iki o shiteru_

(As the sun rises in the sky, it begins to illuminate a basket. The camera pull out to show Ryuto being illuminated by the sunlight. Something catches his attention and as he turns his head, the sun blinds him. Shift to a POV shot, as Ryuto's eyes adjust to the light, he sees Seirin waving towards him. Cut to a shot with the camera in front of him. Ryuto smiles and starts to walks towards them.)

(As the instrumental comes on, Ryuto moves out of the frame revealing a mirrored shot of the Seirin team. This time it's the CCMS team with Ryuto walking towards them. As a drop falls into frame, the screen ripples and several characters flash on screen: Kagami, Kuroko, Barry, Cisco, and Ryuto.)

 _Kimi ga kureta kotoba wa_

 _Ima mo boku no naka no_

 _Katasumi ni oi te aru_

 _Daiji ni shimatte iru_

 _Itsumo mune no naka ni aru_

(With a line dividing them, Ryuto and Barry stand on the courts of their schools. They raise both their hands for a fist bump, but lightning forms in between them. The lightning brightens and the scene shits to Coach Wells watching from a far, with the camera behind him. As the camera shifts to his face, he pushes up his glasses, but the glare of light covers his eyes. The camera shifts again to Riko who looks towards both boys nervously as she brings both her hands to her chest as if praying.)

 _Nandomo omoidashite wa_

 _Kokoro de kurikaeshiteru_

 _Sono tabi chikara ni naru_

(As a basketball whizzes by Riko's face, she turns towards where it came from, while Ryuto, Barry, and Coach Wells also follow it. They see Kuroko and Cisco standing and they begin to look towards the four. The shot shifts to a close up of Barry's mouth and he smiles, jumping into Seirin's court.)

 _Kaze ga fuku kono machi de_

 _Ikiteru yo boku rashiku_

 _Kimi ni mune hareru yō ni_

 _Dakishimete hanasazu ni_

 _Daiji na mono to ima_

 _Boku wa koko de_

(The game commences but there is no ball. All the players go through motions without it. Each team alternating between offense and defense. A ball appears when a pass is sent towards Ryuto and as he gets into an offensive stance, Barry shifts to defend. Once again a line appear on screen to show both teen in the frame and it slowly zooms in on their eyes.)

 _Are kara dore kurai_

(Lighting appears in their eyes and the scene shifts to seventh grade where a younger Ryuto and Barry are standing seemingly in darkness.)

 _Bokura susumeta no ka na_

 _Futo omoidasu no sa_

 _Tashika ni ano toki tomo ni ikita hibi no_

 _Mirai ga koko ni aru yo_

(The two boys reach out towards each other, but neither can grasp the other. However, something else grasps them. Barry is pulled forwards, and aged into a teenager, by Cisco and he sees CCHS waiting for him. Meanwhile, Riko pulls Ryuto forwards with the same effect as Barry and sees Seirin all waiting for him as well; both Ryuto and Barry smile. The two teams then turn to face each other as the song comes to an end.)


	18. Chapter 16

**AN: Here's another chapter for ya! This one is another short bridge chapter before the final game. I hope you enjoy it! Remember, I do NOT own The Flash or Kuroko's Basketball. I only own my character and the plot.**

Chapter 16

The Calm During The Storm

Ryuto groaned as his alarm rang. He shifted his body on the bed and lazily reached out to shut it off. He sat up and let out a yawn as he stretched his arms into the air. As he opened the curtain of his window, the morning light poured in. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see a framed photograph sitting on his desk. He looked towards it and let out a sigh, it was the team picture when they had won the championship in middle school. He grabbed the photo and placed it facing down.

 _You just don't get it Barry!_

Ryuto quickly put on his school uniform and walked towards the kitchen. As usual, his uncle was cooking up breakfast while Satsuki was on her phone.

"Ah, morning, Ryuto," his uncle said with a smile.

"Morning. What's for breakfast today?"

"How do you want your eggs?"

"Scrambled," Ryuto said as he served himself a small bowl of rice.

Ryuto pulled out a chair and sat down. Satsuki had since set down her phone and was staring at her cousin. Ryuto rose an eyebrow.

"Yes?"

"Nothing," Satsuki hummed as she sat back in her chair.

Ryuto rolled his eyes. His uncle gave him a plate of scrambled eggs and he thanked him. He dumbed the bowl of rice onto the eggs and began to eat.

"You guys played well yesterday," Ryuto said in between spoonfuls of food.

"Yeah, a bit disappointed we lost though," Satsuki said with a sigh.

"Aomine looked like he was playing his hardest."

Satsuki nodded. "He wants to play Allen-san and Snart-san again."

Ryuto let out a laugh. "Man, hearing their names with honorifics is so funny."

Satsuki shrugged, but could not help but laugh as well. "I guess so."

"How about you? You play them today," Satsuki asked.

Ryuto stopped eating and set down his spoon. "I'm ready to win."

Ryuto the stood up and picked up his plate, causing Satsuki to jump in surprise.

"Thanks for the food," Ryuto said to his uncle as he placed the plate in the sink.

His uncle eyed him with concern as he walked out of the kitchen. He turned to Satsuki who was equally confused. "Is he in a bad mood?"

"I don't know."

—

 _"But why? Can't we be rivals and friends?" Barry asked, his voice pleading._

 _Ryuto tightened the grip of his fist. "If either of us want to win, we have to put aside our past. It's the only way to play at our best."_

 _Barry took a step back, he could feel the honesty coming from his friend. It was obvious he had made up his mind._

 _"I accepted the fact we, all of you, would be opponents from the moment I found out. This whole time I've been preparing for tomorrow. And so have you. Isn't that right, Cisco?"_

 _Barry looked up and saw that Ryuto's gaze was not on him, but behind him. Barry looked back and let out a sharp gasp, Cisco was standing behind him. However, just like Ryuto, his eyes were not friendly._

 _"Yeah, I know."_

—-

"Ryu-chan? Ryu-chan!"

Ryuto blinked as his mind focused back onto reality. "Sorry, lost in thought."

"Honestly, you do that often," Satsuki said. "What was on your mind this time?"

"Just exams. They start today after all," Ryuto answered.

"I know that's a lie. I've known you long enough that you're never worried for those."

Ryuto let out a sigh and slowed his pace. She was right. The two had become close since he had arrived to Japan. He had known her his whole life and he knew how easily she picked up on things.

"Is it the game?" The tone of her voice was genuine concern.

Ryuto did not respond, but for her, silence was an answer.

"I get it, they're your friends. Playing against friends is not easy."

"It's not that. It's something else," Ryuto said, facing the ground.

"Well, we can talk about it later. I have to go this way."

Ryuto looked up. Satsuki turned left down another road. The two rarely walked to school together, granted they did not go to the same school, but to get there they went in the same direction.

"Aren't you going to wait for Aomine?"

"He's probably still sleeping," Satsuki answered.

"You're not wrong."

"Good luck on your exams."

Ryuto nodded. "Thanks."

Satsuki turned on her heel and walked down the street towards her school.

—-

 _Cisco walked up to Barry and stood in front of him._

 _"He's right Barry. If we want to win we have to put aside our past and play at full strength."_

 _Barry tried to find words to say, but nothing would come out. He wanted to argue that they were being stupid in saying that they were going to disregard their friendship over a game._

 _"We're not disregarding the past. That is something I will always look back on with fondness. But right now, in this moment, the past doesn't matter. The moment I touch that court, my colors aren't red and yellow, but white, black, and red. My number is no longer four but 14."_

 _Those words stung Barry, he wanted to believe that what Ryuto had yelled out to Daiki were just words. But he knew deep down Ryuto had a different life in Japan, one that Barry or anyone of his friends knew next to nothing about. He had fallen in love in Japan. Ryuto was happy in Japan, a type of happiness he did not have back in Central City._

 _"Now, there's something I want to tell you. I'm sure Coach Wells knows already, and will tell you during your team meeting."_

 _Barry was now scared, scared as to what he would say._

 _—_

Barry sat on his bead, scrolling through his phone. A lot of people had sent him messages congratulating him for the victory against Tōō. He smiled as he saw messages form Joe, Iris, and Caitlin; while his heart skipped a beat when he saw Cadence's message. He typed up the similar messages to all of them, but he wanted something a bit more profound for Cade.

"Oof, trying to patch things up with your ex?"

Barry jumped in surprise while letting out a scared scream. When he calmed down, he saw Jay standing on the side of his bed. He had a sly smile on his face.

"Don't scare me like that!" Barry said, composing himself. "Also, she's not my ex!"

Jay laughed and placed his hands on his hips. "Whatever helps you sleep."

Barry rolled his eyes and set his phone on the night stand.

"So, how's my little cousin doing?"

"Fine, why?" Barry said walking over to his suitcase.

"You came back from the bathroom pretty wound up," Jay said. "Want to tell me what really happened?"

"Nothing, nothing happened," Barry answered, not facing him.

"That's not what Cisco said. Did you and Ryuto have a falling out?"

Barry shrugged, and not surprised Jay knew what had really happened. "I guess. He wants to pretend like our two years of middle school never happened. Plus, Cisco said something that I'm having trouble believing."

Jay rose an eyebrow, Cisco had not mentioned anything he might have said.

—-

 _"W-what?"_

 _"You heard that right. I can't use the Zone anymore," Ryuto said sternly._

 _Barry's jaw had dropped, but he wondered why Ryuto was telling him that. He knew it could not be true. How could someone lose the Zone, it did not make sense._

 _"Despite that, I'll still face you with all I've got and I have my team to back me up. I hope you understand what I mean. You too Cisco."_

 _Cisco nodded in response, while Barry was still unable to to accept what he had said. Ryuto put his hands in his pockets and walked past the two._

 _"Taiga, Kuroko, let's go," Ryuto said._

 _From the corner, Kuroko and Taiga walked out from a darkened corridor. Cisco and Barry turned back and found the same distant expression on the both of them. The two nodded towards them, which Cisco returned. Between all of them, except Barry, there was a mutual understanding of what tomorrow meant._

 _As the trio turned the corner and disappeared, Barry let out a large breath and slumped against the wall. His pushed his hair back trying to gather his thoughts._

 _"He's right Barry," Cisco said._

 _Barry looked up to see Cisco staring at him with a serious expression. "About?"_

 _"How he has his team to pick up where he can't succeed."_

 _"We have that too," Barry said._

 _Cisco scoffed. "You can't be serious that you haven't noticed. It's been especially obvious since we got here."_

 _"What has?"_

 _"We play by ourselves. Team play isn't in our playbook," Cisco said._

 _"That's not true and you know it is," Barry replied, his gaze narrowing._

 _"Barry think about it for a second. Oliver has been playing by himself since sixth grade and so has Snart. Only now, when they realized that there are people better than them that they had to take a step back and be more willing to pass the ball around," Cisco explained._

 _Barry tightened the grip of his fist and gritted his teeth. "No, I made sure that we would continue to play as a team using each other's strength to win games."_

 _"That's what you think is going on, but have you ever stopped to think about it. About how you're the one who plays by himself the most."_

 _Barry's eyes widened and his arms slumped at his sides. Did he really play by himself?_

 _—_

"Time's up. Everyone pass your tests forwards." The teacher said.

Between the sound of shuffling papers, one could hear groans coming form students saying they probably failed. Ryuto stretched his arms and threw his head back. Kuroko was sitting in the desk behind him looking through a notebook.

"Double checking your answers?" Ryuto asked.

Kuroko nodded in response.

"How do you think you did?"

"The same as usual."

Ryuto rolled his eyes and straightened himself. He then turned and rested his arms on the seats back rest around to face Kuroko. He got a better look at his notebook and saw he was reviewing for their next exam.

"Isn't last minute cramming bad?"

"I don't think so. It'll help make sure I know the material," Kuroko answered. "You seem more focused than usual."

"Well yeah, I want to do well," Ryuto said with a shrug.

"We both know that's not what I meant," Kuroko said, turing a page in his notebook.

Ryuto let out a sigh and hung his head. "You too, huh?"

Kuroko did not respond, he simply turned another page in his notebook. Ryuto scowled at the sight.

"You're not even going to look at me are you?"

Again, no response, simply another page turned. Ryuto rolled his eyes and let out a sigh.

"Fine, you're right. I'm more focused on the game," Ryuto said, throwing his hands in the air.

Kuroko closed his notebook and set it aside. He looked up to face Ryuto. His blank expression giving more signals then it probably should.

"So am I."

"Seriously?" Ryuto asked with sweat drop.

"You've been avoiding Kagami-kun," Kuroko said, changing the subject.

Ryuto turned his body to face forwards. "I'm not avoiding him."

"I think you should talk to him about last night."

"You two were the ones eavesdropping."

The door to the classroom slid open and the teacher walked in with a handful of exam papers.

 _Round two,_ Ryuto thought.

"Alright everyone settle down, we're about to begin the next exam."

—-

The CCHS team sat in one of the hotel's conference rooms and discussed their game plan. On a white board, were the stats of their opponents: Seirin. All of them were there even the players that were likely not to play. Laid out was also their usual game strategies and positions.

"Okay everyone, here's how we're going to defend against Seirin," Coach Stein said. "Harrison."

Coach Wells nodded and walked towards the white board while Coach Stein stepped back. Coach Wells clapped his hands together and rubbed them before starting to speak.

"So, here we have the data on everyone on the Seirin team thanks to Felicity's careful observations," Coach Wells said pointing to the back of the room.

Everyone turned to see the blonde teen fast asleep in her chair. Some around her snickered, while Coach Wells pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Anyways, everyone has who they're defending, but this is so everyone knows how to defend Seirin," Coach Wells said placing his hand on the whiteboard. "First, their point guard, Shun Izuki. Like Kazunari Takao of Shuroku, he has a 360 degree view of the court. However, he does have blind spots, so capitalize on those. Cisco, don't let him overwhelm you on defense or offense."

Cisco nodded in response.

"Next, their captain and shooting guard, Junpei Hyuga. He has an incredible accuracy with three-pointers; rarely misses. Oliver, be careful when defending him close, his step back shot can create spacing quickly. He also knows one of the shooting forms, he managed to catch off guard Reo from Rakuzan."

Oliver scoffed. "Please, compared to Shintaro and Reo, this guy is nothing."

"Thinking like that is going to cause you to lose, Oliver," Diggle said.

"Then there's Tetsuya Kuroko. He doesn't have a specific position, but he's still a threat. Similar to Chihiro from Rakuzan, he too has low presence and is incredibly adept at passing. That stems from complete trust between him and his teammates. He does have other abilities at his disposal, such as his Phantom Drive and Phantom Shot. Don't let him overwhelm any of you or they will get a big lead."

All of CCHS nodded in response. They knew no one in particular was going to guard Kuroko, but they still had to be prepared for him nonetheless.

"Now comes one of our former team members. First, Taiga Kagami, playing power forward. His jumping power is one of the best in Japan, couple that with his explosiveness and he's hard to stop in the paint. On rebounds, box him out and use that to beat him to the ball. Finally, if he enters the Zone, Snart and Barry, I want you two to be ready to double team him."

Snart and Barry nodded in response, but Barry's nod was more unenthusiastic.

"Finally, their small forward, Ryuto Rishihara. His ball handling is considered the best in Japan, next to Daiki Aomine. Don't let his dribbling throw you off guard, anticipate what he's going to do next and defend his drive. We all know he can drive towards the basket with even the smallest opening, so make sure to tighten up the defense. He has greatly improved since his time with us, so be prepared for anything. Finally, this is no doubt help us in the long run, Ryuto no longer has access to the Zone," Well explained.

The was an audible gasp from everyone in the room. Everyone began to murmur, all of them wondering what that meant come game time. Barry meanwhile, tightened the grip of his fist. He did not want to believe it when Ryuto had told him, but now he had no choice.

"Barry, it'll be your job to defend him. Make sure he doesn't get the ball, and if he does make sure he can't get past you."

"Yes, Coach," Barry said, not facing him.

Coach Wells clapped again and brought the attention back to him. The sound of the clap caused Felicity to jump awake.

"What's happening?" she asked as she adjusted her glasses.

The room began to laugh as Felicity tried to hide her embarrassment.

"Okay everyone, that concludes the meeting. Meet in the lobby in two hours."

"Yes, Coach!" the team said in unison.

The shuffling of chairs filled the room as all the players began to exit. Barry, meanwhile, remained sitting in his chair, lost in thought. He could not hear when Coach Wells pulled out the chair next to him and sat down.

"Something's bothering you Barry," Coach Wells said removing his glasses and setting them on the table.

"I don't know if I'm ready to take on Ryuto," Barry said, not facing his coach.

Coach Wells let out a breath. "I understand, but if you want to get stronger, beating him is the only way."

"Before he left for Japan, he said he wanted me to surpass him. Maybe I have, but when will I know that?" Barry asked.

"You won't. Not until you face him and win."

—

 _We have arrived at Tokyo Haneda International Airport. Be careful when opening the overhead bins as items may have shifted while in flight. On behalf of everyone here at Ferris Air, we thank you for flying with us._

The sound of seat belts unlocking filled the airplane as people shifted out of their seats and grabbing their bags form overhead. One teen, about eighteen years old, waited as people began to move before getting his bag. He glance at his watch to check the time.

"Good, still got a few hours before the game," the teen murmured.

The teen had dark brown, almost black hair and blue eyes. Glasses framed his face and he wore a simple jacked over a t-shirt and jeans.

When the people on the plane began to thin out, the teen stood up and grabbed his bag from overhead. He thanked and apologized to the people waiting behind him and quickly walked to deboard the plane.

The teen weaved through the crowd of people and reading the signs in order to find where the taxi's pick people up. Finally reaching the taxi waiting area, the teen waved to a taxi and the driver parked next to him. The teen opened the door and quickly climbed inside. He checked his wallet to make sure he would have enough yen for the drive, he was not sure and silently prayed.

"Where to, sir?" the taxi driver asked in the best English he could.

"Right. Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium please," the teen responded.

The taxi driver nodded and the drive began.

The drive was bit longer than the teen had anticipated, the airport was closer to Yokohama than Tokyo. However, throughout the drive, the teen got excellent pictures form the areas he would pass by. The more he saw the more he wanted to explore more the country. Sadly the teen was going to be in Japan for only about two days, so he would not be able to.

The crowds in Tokyo were bigger than the teen was expecting. He knew it would be crowded, but the sheer amount of people was unbelievable to him. When he made it to the gymnasium, he paid the fare, which he barely had enough, and got out of the taxi. There was still about an hour left before the game, but people had begun to arrive. The teen let out a breath and walked towards the entrance.

"Wait a minute, Clark? Is that you?" a voice asked form behind.

Clark whipped his head around to see a blonde woman with green eyes and pink framed glasses. She wore a black jacket with a white shirt underneath and jeans. Her hands were in her jacket pockets, and from the top her shirt a black and white dog jumped out. It took a moment, but Clark realized who she was.

"Alex?"

Alex smiled. "Well then, how long has it been?"

Alex walked up to the boy and threw her arm around Clark's shoulders. Clark looked towards the dog, who let out a high pitched bark, but Clark quickly looked back towards Alex trying to avoid staring too long at her chest.

"It's been a few years. Since I left Central City in fact."

"That long, huh. So, does today's game bring you Japan?"

Clark nodded. "When I heard about it, I got curious. I wanted to know how all of the players from sixth grade have improved."

Alex let out a laugh. "They have gotten a lot better since then. How about you, you still play?"

Clark nodded no. "Returning to Smallville, I had to drop the sport. Not enough time between school and working on the farm."

"That sucks. You were really good in middle school," Alex replied, removing her arm from the teen's shoulders.

Clark glanced back towards the dog, which let out another bark. Alex began to pet it in order to quiet it down.

"Why are you bringing a dog to a basketball game?" Clark asked raising an eyebrow.

"It's not mine. I'm just looking after him while his owner plays."

Clark's eyebrow remained raised. "Plays? Are they one of the players today?"

Alex nodded. "Yep." Before Alex said anything else, her phone began to buzz. She took it out of her pocket and glanced at the screen before putting it away. "I got to go, but I'll see you later."

"Yeah sure," Clark replied.

Alex walked away while waving at him, which he returned. She then turned away from him and continued towards the gymnasium. Clark let out a breath and began walking towards the gymnasium as well. There was still time before the game so Clark thought about looking for the CCHS team and saying hello.

 _But they're playing against Ryuto and Taiga. I wonder what happened for them to come to Japan?_

 **AN: And with that this chapter comes to an end. I really like the way this one turned out, especially how I structured it. I hope you guys also liked the structure, if not tell me and I'll try to improve for the future. I know this chapter was pretty dialogue heavy, I'll try to minimize it in the coming chapters. With all that out of the way, the stakes have been raised (at least, I think they have). Here's where everything comes to ahead between Ryuto and his former teammates. I wanted to create some distance between Barry and Ryuto as their friendship had been, up this point, pretty happy. This also showcased just how much Ryuto had changed in the year he was in Japan and I'll be showing more of that during the game. I hope you enjoyed this chapter and and stay tuned for the next one! This story is slowly winding down, so be prepared. Remember, if you are enjoying, then follow, favorite, and/or review. Also, follow me on Twitter. I post story updates and other stuff there so you guys can get to know me a bit better.**


	19. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

A Foreign Strength

The Seirin team walked towards the Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium with a sense of purpose. The people around them stopped to get a look at them. Their victory at the Winter Cup was still pretty fresh due to defeating a powerhouse school like Rakuzan. The members could hear the murmurs of the bystanders saying that they could be one of the teams to beat the Americans. Many wanted to respond, but they decided on not responding; something they came to the conclusion to by just exchanging glances.

They walked the halls of gymnasium, looking for their locker room. They found it with their school name on a plaque. As Riko opened the door, they could see a camera flash from their side.

"Wow, so this is the Seirin team I've heard so much about," a male voice said in English.

"Ignore him, he's just a foreign reporter," Hyuga said.

The team nodded in response. However, for Ryuto and Kagami there was something oddly familiar about the voice. The two teens looked to the side to see a young man, a teenager the two guessed. He had dark brown, almost black hair, his eyes were a dark blue color framed by glasses. He was definitely American. The teen smiled at the kindly. Ryuto and Kagami knew he looked familiar, but could not place it.

"Can I get a quick interview from you two?" the teen asked.

"Oi, Ryuto, Kagami. Come on." Hyuga said.

"One sec, captain," Ryuto said, not facing him. "You look familiar. Have we met before?"

Kagami echoed the question with a nod.

"Can't believe you'd forget me that easily, Ryuto, Taiga," the teen said as he took off his glasses.

The two Japanese teens eyes widened as they realized who they were talking to.

"Clark?!" they exclaimed in unison.

"Wait, you know this guy?" Izuki asked.

The two teens nodded.

"Give us a minute. We'll be right inside," Ryuto said.

"Don't be too long," Riko said.

The two teens nodded and the door of the locker room closed.

"Man, how long has it been?" Kagami said as he ran a hand through his hair.

"Since you guys were in sixth grade," Clark said with a smile. "You two have definitely grown, can't believe Taiga is taller than me."

Kagami smiled proudly, while Ryuto groaned a bit. At six feet tall, Ryuto was fairly average in height. At one point he was taller than Kagami and several others from his middle school teammates. Ryuto pushed those thoughts aside and focused on the fact that his middle school captain was right in front of him.

"What bring you to Japan?" Kagami asked.

"When I heard you two moved here and that the best team Central City Middle School ever had were going to play against each other, I had to come here to see it."

"Wow, that must've been hard. Getting here I mean," Ryuto said.

Clark nodded. "It was. Luckily my parents let me come, though I had double the work on the farm."

The three took the time to catch each other up on their respective lives since they parted ways. Clark had kept up with the team when they were still in middle school. The two Japanese teens were disappointed that Clark had dropped basketball when he entered high school. Ryuto and Kagami explained why they were in Japan, which Clark seemed to understand perfectly.

"I missed so much since I left. Though I'm glad you two are still a team," Clark said as he placed a hand on the two boys shoulders. "You should go back to your team. I don't want to keep you any longer."

"It's good to see you again. Look forward to the game," Ryuto said.

Clark nodded. "I will. Now I gotta find CCHS. Maybe they'll also give me an interview."

The three teens laughed. Clark said good bye and started to walk away. Clark put on his glasses and went to find the American team. Meanwhile, Ryuto and Kagami opened the door to the locker room to find the team in the middle of discussing their strategy.

—-

"Does everyone understand the plan?" Coach Wells asked.

The CCHS team nodded in response.

"Then let's go win!"

The team collectively cheered as they stood up, most of them ready to play. Coach Stein opened the door to the locker room and the team began to walk out. As they collected themselves outside, a camera flash caught their eye. Coach Wells had told them to ignore reporters and such as they would detract from their focus on the game.

"To think, I would also get ignored form you guys. Luck must not be on my side today," the person said.

Most on the team knew the voice sounded familiar and could see a teen out of the corner of their eyes. He then took off his glasses and everyone recognized who it was, but seemed to be unable to say the person's name.

"Clark?" Cisco asked, breaking the silence.

"How've you been guys?" Clark asked.

"No way, it's actually him!" Jay exclaimed.

The players that knew him all crowded around their middle school captain, happily greeting him. All of them began to speak at once. Each person's sentences being spoken over.

"Guys, calm down. I can't even understand you all," Clark said with a laugh.

"Sorry, it just feels like forever since we last saw you," Ronnie said.

"It's good see all of you and just by looking at you I can tell you've all improved so much," Clark said.

He gaze then fell on the group that had not greeted him. He knew Snart and Mick were not the nicest of people so he let those slide. However, there was a group of five that seemed to know who he was, but he had never met. He walked up to the five and introduced himself.

"I'm Clark Kent. I was captain of these guys back in middle school. Please to meet you."

"Wow, so cool to finally meet you. All of our seniors speak highly of you," Curtis said.

"I'm sure they do," Clark responded with a smile.

His gaze then fell on Barry, who seemed to try to avoid eye contact; always turning his face away. Clark walked towards the teen and quickly sized him up.

"So, you must be the captain, Barry Allen, right?"

"How did you know?"

"There's something about you," Clark said with a knowing smile. "Well, that and your jacket zipper is open so I can see the number 4."

Barry laughed nervously and placed his hand behind his head. "That makes sense."

"Well, it's nice to see you all, but I shouldn't keep you guys any longer. Good luck tonight,"

"Right!" the team said in unison.

As Clark walked away, he nodded towards Coach Wells and Coach Stein, who nodded in response. The team watched as Clark disappeared around the corner.

—-

As warmups were starting, Clark made his way to the stands and managed to find Alex watching form the top of them.

"Not going to sit down?"

Alex turned towards Clark and smiled. The dog she had barked and Alex was quick to quiet it down. Clark stood next to her and both turned towards the court.

"This place is packed today. Though it would be better if I stayed up here with this little guy," Alex said as she looked down towards the dog.

Clark chuckled. "Still don't know why you brought it."

Alex simply gave him a knowing smile and turned back towards the court. Clark put his hands in his pockets and turned towards the court as well.

"So, what can you tell me about Seirin?"

"They're an offensive team, that's for sure. However, they work well as a team. They can fill in the gap another player presents. Kuroko is the centerpiece for that. Though Ryuto also does well to support his teammates. Their main scorers are Taiga and Hyuga."

Clark took in the information as he watched Seirin warm up. It made sense to him that the driving force for their team was Kagami and their shooting guard. Clark silently thanked himself for going over the names of the players so he knew which ones Alex was talking about. However, what surprised him was that Ryuto was a supporting player and not part of the offense.

"Why is Ryuto support? He's always been offensive. His skills work best in one-on-one situations. Even then, he can slip through any defense by himself." Clark asked.

"I thought the same thing too, but then I saw him play against Rakuzan. Even in the Zone, he was more focused on supporting his teammates rather than racking up points," Alex explained.

Clark knew about Ryuto's Zone. It made him happy that a player he respected managed to unlock such an ability. It surprised him to hear that he used it to support his teammates.

"That's not to say he didn't use it to score, because he would drive to the basket often."

Clark looked towards the grey haired teen, who seemed to be laughing at something someone said, and tried to get every detail about him he could get at a glance. He crossed his arms and wondered just how much stronger he had become. As he watched, he saw Ryuto dunk a ball with ease, as if it was something he could always do. However, the real kicker was Kagami's dunk, which obviously made a statement. Clark noticed just how high Kagami jumped and it amazed him. He knew Kagami had exceptional jumping power, but it was a whole other level now.

"Damn, those two have improved so much," Clark mumbled.

Alex chuckled, but did not respond.

—-

The CCHS team was speechless after seeing Kagami's dunk. They knew he could jump high, but seeing on the court was something else entirely. They knew, however, Kagami's dunk was a form of declaration that their opponents were not going to back down for even a moment.

"So, who's going to fire back?" Rene asked.

The players looked at each other. None of them could dunk with the same force as Kagami.

"I'll do it," Barry said. "Pass me the ball, Cisco."

Cisco nodded and threw the ball towards Barry. Barry caught the ball and got into an offensive position. He took a deep breath and focused. A path towards the basket opened and Barry sprinted. He then jumped and slammed the ball into the basket. He hung on the rim for a moment before landing on the floor. He turned towards Seirin and locked eyes with Kagami, who sent him a smirk.

The buzzer sounded and both teams walked towards their benches. Both teams took the moment to decide their starting line ups and final strategies for the game. The buzzer sounded again, followed by the referee's whistle. The team's starting lineups stood in front of each other: Hyuga faced Barry, Cisco faced Izuki, Ryuto faced Diggle, Kagami faced Snart, and Kuroko faced Oliver.

"Bow!"

Both teams bowed and thanked each other for playing. The team captains exchanged a handshake, but said nothing to each other. With simply their eyes, they knew what each of them wanted to say. Both teams positioned themselves for the jump ball, with Kagami and Diggle in the center.

"I won't lose this, Taiga," Diggle said.

Kagami smiled. "Bring it on, Dig."

The referee stood between both of them and threw the ball into the air; starting the game. To no one's surprise, Kagami won the jump ball and pushed the ball towards Oliver. The CCHS team noticed how no one seemed to be standing where Oliver was, but all of them were shocked to see the ball moving in front of Kuroko.

Kuroko got into position and they noticed his stance.

 _Ignite Pass? To who?_ Barry thought. He looked to his side to see Ryuto not standing next to him. Barry turned towards the basket and saw Ryuto sprinting towards it.

 _Ignite Pass Kai_

 _Flashback_

In the locker room, Seirin discussed their strategy to start the game.

 _"_ To start this game, we're going with a bang," Riko said. "Kuroko-kun, Ryuto-kun, that will be your job."

The two teens nodded. They looked at each other and fist bumped.

"Let's put all that practice to good use," Ryuto said.

"Of course," Kuroko said.

 _End Flashback_

Kuroko's palm slammed into the ball and the spin of the ball pushed it with immense speed. Ryuto held out both his hands and caught the pass.

 _Even with two hands, that pass stings,_ Ryuto thought.

Ryuto then jumped and slammed the ball into the basket. When he landed on the floor, the crowd erupted in cheers. With most saying how amazing the pass and the dunk were.

In the stands, the members of the Generation of Miracles watched with intrigue, wondering how the rest of the game would turn out.

Back on the court, the Seirin team crowded around Ryuto and congratulating him and Kuroko on their play. They also celebrated as they jogged to get into position for defense.

Snart picked up the ball for the inbound, ready to resume the game.

"Damn, they really did that," Cisco said.

"We can't let it get to us. We'll get them back," Barry said.

The other four players nodded and prepared for offense.

The inbound was passed to Oliver and he quickly set up for a shot. However, as he released the shot, a hand swatted the ball down. CCHS found Kagami jumping in the air and red lighting in his eyes. Ryuto caught the loose ball and scored a lay up. The crowd exploded in cheers at how quickly Seirin scored back to back.

CCHS meanwhile were left stunned. Even Oliver was more surprised that frustrated. They watched as the two Seirin players jogged to defense and at Kagami's lighting fade.

"What the hell?" Oliver said.

"How did they know we'd try to fire back with Oliver?" Diggle asked.

"Don't know. We'll just have to get them back by facing them," Barry said.

The four players nodded in response and started their jog towards offense.

"Don't let them score!" Hyuga yelled out.

"Yeah!"

 _So far we're starting just as Riko and I predicted. I knew that scoring right off the bat would force them to score with Oliver. Training Taiga to master his Zone also worked out. Now he can enter and exit it at will. So swatting the shot was easy. It also makes up for my own lack of Zone. Now it'll be Izuki and Kuroko's turn to shut down Cisco._

In Ryuto's mind flashed the three months of practice and game footage the team watched in order to prepare. He smiled, as so far everything was following the plans they had laid out. He looked over to Izuki and Cisco. They had to shut down the American point guard as soon as possible.

Cisco dribbled the ball and gave a passing glance to each player. In front of him stood the eagle eyed point guard, who watched him carefully. Cisco knew he had a plan, but what, he was not sure.

 _I need him to drive, that's what Ryuto said,_ Izuki thought. _Looks like I only have one option._

Izuki lunged at the ball trying to swipe it away. He knew it was it obvious, but if it caught him off balance then Kuroko could swipe the ball. Cisco crossed over to avoid the steal, but found Kuroko slapping the ball out of his hand.

Cisco's eyes widened in surprise; his Vibe had not activated.

Izuki caught the loose ball and sprinted down the court. Before he could make it too far, Barry overtook him and was ready to defend. Izuki smirked and tossed the ball behind his back. Barry looked behind Izuki to see Hyuga catch the ball and set up for a three. The teen released his shot and scored without touching the net; 20-8.

The crowd began to cheer Seirin's name, cheering on the local team.

"Damn, to think Seirin would pull ahead by this much," Takao said pushing his hair back.

"No doubt they used the knowledge from previous game," Midorima added.

Seijūrō shifted in his seat, curious as to what will happen next.

"Amazing! They're up by twelve and it's only four minutes into the game," Tatsuya said.

"Pretty sure the Americans have more up their sleeve," Murasakibara said as he snacked on bag of potato chips.

Tatsuya simply nodded in response.

"What are those two idiots doing? I thought they were stronger than that," Aomine grumbled as he slumped in his seat.

"I think Seirin was just better prepared. I am surprised the Americans haven't called a time out yet, though," Satsuki added.

She turned her gaze towards Ryuto, who seemed to be silently controlling the flow of the game. _He really should try playing point guard._

"Damn, 20-8?! This Seirin team is no joke!" Clark exclaimed.

"You think they're strong now. Wait until they get their stride," Alex said.

Clark glance towards her, but Alex said nothing else. He turned back to the court, to see Oliver sink a three from the half court line. _Still six minutes left. There's still time for things to turn around._

 _—-_

Cisco surveyed his opponents formation and then gave a quick glance towards the scoreboard. Seirin still had the lead, but there was enough time for them to catch up; plus a whole other quarter.

 _No doubt they're using Tetsuya and Shun to stop me from making good passes, but the fact they've been able to steal without my Vibe activating is strange._

"Cisco!"

Cisco looked to his side and saw Barry breaking away from Ryuto and calling out for a pass. Cisco positioned himself to pass, but his vision shifted and he saw the pass being cut off by Kuroko. Cisco clicked his tongue in frustration and turned back towards the middle. _No other choice._ Cisco shifted his body from a pass to shot, but before he could bring the ball to this forehead, Izuki jabbed at the ball and caused it to come loose. Kuroko picked up the ball and dribbled down the court.

"Dammit!" Cisco called out as he turned to follow the blue-haired teen.

At the half court line, Barry over took Kuroko and was prepared to defend him.

"I'll stop you Tetsuya!"

Barry then saw Kagami running up form behind and in that instant, Kuroko drove past Barry. Barry's eyes widened in surprise as the blue-haired boy ran past him.

 _This is, the Vanishing Drive!_

Kuroko then set up for a shot, but Snart had managed to reach him in time and jumped to block the ball. However, he found that the ball seemed to go through his hand as Kuroko released.

 _Phantom Shot! Now I get it,_ Snart thought as a smile formed on his face.

The ball bounced off the backboard and Kuroko scored. As Kuroko jogged back, he caught a glimpse of Snart's expression. However, he could not dwell on it for long enough as his team gathered around him.

Meanwhile, as Cisco picked up the ball for the inbound. He looked towards Snart, who nodded towards him. Cisco nodded back and as he dribbled the ball down the court he held up three fingers and called out the play.

"Frost!"

The CCHS players nodded in conformation and got into position.

Ryuto surveyed their formation and noticed how no one was guarding the basket. Ryuto rose an eyebrow, unsure of what was going on. He gave a quick glance to the scoreboard, there were still four minutes left in the quarter with the score being 22-11.

 _What could they be planning?_ Ruyto's gaze fell onto Coach Wells who seemed to be calm about the whole situation.

Cisco then tossed the ball behind his back and Oliver caught it. Seirin's eyes widened in surprise as the blonde set up for a shot and released, completely undefended. Oliver scored and CCHS celebrated.

"Hey, Kuroko, let's hit 'em with one more," Ryuto said.

"We're already on it," Kuroko said as Kagami sprinted down the court.

Hyuga tossed Kuroko the inbound and got into position for an Ignite Pass Kai. Kuroko's palm collided with the ball and it sailed down the court with immense speed. As Kagami turned around to catch the pass, his eyes widened as someone moved to intercept it. The ball was caught, but not by Kagami. The court seemed to be frozen, everyone, even those in the stands, were stunned. Kuroko, meanwhile, could not believe what he was seeing. Someone had caught his Ignite Pass Kai and it was not Kagami, Ryuto, or Aomine; it was Snart.

Snart gave a cocky smile and tilted his head to the side. "I've been studying you Tetsuya."

Snart drove towards the basket freezing anyone who defended him in place. As Ryuto moved to defend him, he felt his legs lock in place and he could not break free.

 _Dammit, when did he get this strong?_

Snart then jumped up and slammed the ball into the basket, scoring again for CCHS.

 _So, this is Frost,_ Ryuto thought as he took a step forwards.

Kuroko turned towards Snart, who looked at him with intense eyes.

"You're passes won't get through, not anymore," Snart said.

Up in the stands, all the Generation of Miracles' jaws had dropped. Each of them could not believe what they had just witnessed. Aomine, was both surprised and excited. Claiming he wanted to play against Snart again.

Alex and Clark had similar expressions. Both of them could not formulate words to what had just occurred.

On CCHS's bench, Coach Wells look through the data sheet for Kuroko. They had plenty to go on, but how to beat was still tough. However, when Snart had told him he wanted to go one-on-one against Kuroko, then he knew he would leave it to the teen.

 _Flashback_

"You want to do what?" Coach Wells asked.

"Seirin's invisible guy, I want to go one-on-one against him," Snart responded.

Coach Wells took off his glasses and rubbed his forehead. Sometimes he could not comprehend his own players.

"I get that you want to take him on, but we have a plan in mind for him. For all of the Generation of Miracles."

"I know that, but ever since I've found out about those players only the phantom sixth man has peaked my interest," Snart replied.

Coach Wells let out a sigh and placed his glasses back onto the bridge of his nose.

"Alright, fine. No mistakes."

Snart nodded and jogged back to practice.

 _End Flashback_

 _What will you do now, Seirin?_ Coach Wells thought.

As Kuroko redirected a pass towards Ryuto, Snart was able to pick it off and began to drive down the court. Snart threw the ball down the court where Barry was there to catch it, but found Ryuto waiting for him. After quick crossovers, Barry was able to break away from Ryuto and go up for a lay up. However, he found Kagami jumping to block him and he swatted the ball back down to the floor. Izuki caught the loose ball and threw it towards Hyuga, who set up for a three. Oliver moved to defend him, but using his Barrier Jumper, Hyuga created the space he needed to release shot. The ball swished through the net scoring a three.

 _32-28. Damn, they caught up quick. All because they managed to shut down Kuroko,_ Ryuto thought.

The ball then sailed over everyone's heads and bounced off the back board into the hoop. Seirin looked back to see Oliver with a smug smile.

"Now it's a one point game," Oliver said as the buzzer sounded.

Both teams walked towards their benches. However, CCHS seemed to have much more enthusiasm compared to Seirin.

The Seirin team sat on their bench and used the time to catch their breaths. Riko eyed them all carefully, wanting to make sure no one was over exerting themselves. However, the thought of Snart stopping their passes continued to plague her.

 _Without Kuroko-kun out passing will be al the more difficult. However, pulling him out of the game will prevent further turnovers,_ Riko thought as she bit her thumb. _I only have one option._

"Kuroko-k-"

"I think it would be best to bench me," Kuroko said cutting off the coach as well as not facing her. "If Snart-san can stop my passes, it would be best to leave me on the bench."

The team let out a surprised gasp. They could see what Kuroko had realized.

"Right now, I'm a detriment to the team."

 **AN: And with that, this chapter comes to an end. For this game, I'll be dividing up the the quarters into their own separate chapters in order to be able to showcase several things. As I've been looking back on the chapters, there were many times where I could not showcase everything I wanted because I limited the game to a single chapter, I hope to remedy that with this game. With all that out of the way, I hope you enjoyed this chapter and stay tuned for the next. Remember to follow, favorite, and/or review if you're enjoying this story.**


	20. Chapter 18

**AN: This one is a bit on the short side, but I hope you enjoy it anyways! Remember, I do NOT own KnB or Flash! I only own my character.**

Chapter 18

The Light That Becomes Shadow

Kuroko redirected a pass towards Kagami, but Snart was there to cut it off. The blue-haired teen tried again and again to get passes through, but Snart would stop them every time. By shutting down Kuroko, CCHS was able to catch up and close the 12 point gap. Kuroko panted heavily, there were only a few second left in first quarter and he had to break free from Snart's grip. As Seirin jogged to defense, a ball sailed over their heads and it hit the back board and went into the hoop. They all turned back to see Oliver with a cocky grin.

"Now, it's a one point game," Oliver said as the buzzer sounded.

As Seirin walked towards their bench, Kuroko clenched his fist tightly. He was frustrated to have been stopped so easily. He mulled over in his head what he should do next, but it all lead to the same conclusion: he should be benched.

"Kuroko-k-" Riko began to say.

"I think it would be best if you benched me," Kuroko said cutting off the coach, as well as not facing her. "If Snart-san can stop my passes, it would be best to leave me on the bench."

Kuroko could hear the audible gasp from his teammates. However, he knew that they all agreed with him. He looked towards everyone and took in a deep breath and let it out.

"Right now I'm a detriment to the team."

Nobody spoke. There was a long silence among the Seirin players.

Ryuto let out a sigh and looked towards Kuroko. "This isn't your fault, Kuroko. You didn't get predicted."

Kuroko turned towards his grey-haired friend. Ryuto obviously knew something about why Snart was targeting him.

"The thing is, with Snart, he tends to become obsessed. If something interests him, he will pursue every avenue to get to it. In this case, your play style caught his attention. No doubt he spent three months studying you and your movements. In that time he figured out how to stop you," Ryuto explained.

"Couldn't you have explained that earlier?" Hyuga asked, irritation in his voice.

"Sorry. To be honest, I didn't think it would be Kuroko he would set his sights on," Ryuto said.

"Anyways, we need to find a new game plan," Riko said.

"We could use what me and Kuroko have been working on for three months," Ryuto offered.

All eyes turned to him. Everyone on the team knew that Kuroko and Ryuto had been training together since the exhibition match was announced. But no one knew what they were doing; except for Riko.

"Are you sure? If you use that now you won't be able to use it again," Riko said, concern rising in her voice.

Ryuto smiled confidently. "Don't worry. We've been training just in case something like this happened."

Kuroko nodded. "He's right, Coach. I'm sure it'll work."

"Wait, what are you guys talking about?" Hyuga asked what everyone had been thinking.

"Do you guys trust me?" Ryuto said, looking everyone in the eye.

The was a long silence between all the players before a collective nod.

"We do," Izuki said.

Ryuto smiled again. "Thanks you guys, I won't let you down."

The buzzer sounded and both teams were called back to the court.

"Let's go!" Hyuga yelled.

"Yeah!" everyone said in unison.

On CCHS's side of the court, they watched as the Seirin team walked onto the court. They were quick to notice that there was a new player among them, a tall, black haired teen.

"Looks like they're actually playing with a center," Cisco said.

"Finally, someone I can go head-to-head with," Diggle said as he put his fist into his palm.

"Shame, I wanted to crush Tetsuya some more," Snart drawled.

Barry cringed at Snart's words. _Weren't you friends with the guy?_

Up in the stands, all of the Generation of Miracles watched the new Seirin line up and came to the same conclusion.

"I wonder how they're going to get passes through." Kasamatsu said, leaning forwards in his seat.

"I have no idea. I've never seen this line-up before," Kise added.

Aomine grunted as he shifted in his seat. "Man, that freeze guy shut out Tetsu. Now what're they going to do."

"We'll just have to keep watching," Satsuki added.

 _How will you get past this one, Ryuto?_ Seijūrō wondered.

The referee blew his whistle, and the game resumed. CCHS started with possesion and quickly mobilized for offense.

 _Without Tetsuya they can't pressure me so easily. We can take advantage of this,_ Cisco thought.

He sent a pass towards Barry who was quickly met by Ryuto. The two did not say anything to each other. It was obvious to Barry that Ryuto did not want to talk to him. Barry got into an offensive stance and watched as Ryuto tensed up, but quickly relaxed himself.

Barry ran simulations in his head on what to do next, but they all ended in the same way: him losing. He let out a breath and passed the ball back to Cisco. Cisco caught the pass, but had a surprised look on his face.

"Let's regroup," Barry said.

Cisco nodded in response and took a few steps back from the three point line. CCHS set up again and got ready to attack the basket.

"Man, that speedy guy really did not want to go one-on-one against Ryu-chan," Takao said as he pushed his hair back.

"He must've realized that anything he tried would've been stopped. Smart move to reset their offense," Midorima said. _But, I feel like there's more going on here._

As the clock reached seven minutes, neither team had scored. Both teams seemed to have reached a stale mate. However, everyone noticed how whenever Barry got the ball and was face-to-face with Ryuto he would send the ball right back. The game got back on track when Oliver scored a three from half court, putting CCHS in the lead.

 _Well then, now seems like a good time to use it,_ Ryuto thought.

He looked towards Iuzki, who nodded in response. He still had no idea what was going on, but he would trust Ryuto.

"Hey, is it just me or are there nine players on the court?" someone in the stands said.

The question caught the attention of Tatsuya, who carefully counted each player on the court. His eyes widened in surprise that he could only count nine. _When the hell did Seirin sub Kuroko for Ryuto?_ He eyes turned to the bench but saw that Kuroko was still on the bench and Ryuto was no where to be found. _What is going on here?_

Izuki dribbled the ball and carefully watch the opponent in front of him. He had noticed how Ryuto seemed to have disappeared and, with that, he figured out the plan.

"Mitobe!" Izuki called out.

The silent center turned towards Izuki to catch the pass, but Diggle moved in front of him.

 _Don't think I'll let you make such an easy pass!_

However, neither of them touched the ball. The ball was redirected towards Hyuga, who caught the ball and quickly set up for a three before Oliver could react; he was still astonished that the ball changed course. Hyuga released his shot and scored a three.

The crowd roared at what had just transpired. "What the hell was that pass?" "I thought the passing guy was benched."

The Generation of Miracles had similar reactions to what had just happened. Somehow, the ball changed direction the same way Kuroko did it. However, they quickly noticed the difference. Kuroko's was more refined, while the one they just saw was weak. They then pieced together what was going on.

On the court, CCHS were left stunned, especially Snart. Kuroko was on the bench and the pass was redirected. They all looked towards Seirin and saw that Izuki was high-fiving Ryuto. Snart's jaw dropped. There was no way Ryuto could have done that.

 _Flashback_

3 months ago.

Ryuto watched s Kuroko sent a pass towards Kagami, who jumped for a dunk. He had been watching Kuroko use his misdirection for a while now. He wanted to know everything about it, maybe even replicate it himself. He laughed at himself, knowing doing that would be next to impossible.

"What's so funny?" Riko asked.

"Nothing. I just had a dumb idea," Ryuto responded with a grin.

Riko let out a sigh and face palmed. "This can't be good." Her voice came out a bit muffled.

"Hey, Kuroko, can you come here for a sec," Ryuto called out.

Kuroko turned towards the grey-haired boy and nodded in response. He jogged over to his teammate and coach.

"What's up?" Kuroko asked as he wiped his forehead with his shirt.

"I want you to teach me the misdirection passes," Ryuto said.

"Huh?" Riko and Kuroko said at the same time.

"What's wrong?" Ryuto asked, genuine confusion in his voice.

"I'm sorry. I don't think I heard you right. You want to learn how do do misdirection?" Kuroko asked.

"That's exactly what I said," Ryuto answered, complete seriousness in his tone.

 _Oh my God. He's serious,_ Riko thought as her sweat dropped.

"Look, I'm not trying to take away your spot from the team. It's just whenever we face a problem where your misdirection won't work then we can bank on me doing it. Basically, it's to fill gaps in our offense or defense," Ryuto explained.

"I guess that makes sense," Riko mused.

"I think I understand where you're getting at. Though I'm not exactly sure how I could teach you," Kuroko said.

"Wait a sec. Let me think," Riko said.

The two teens turned towards their coach who seemed to be mulling something in her head. Then her eyes shot open and let out a gasp. She turned towards Ryuto, concern was written all over her face.

"If you do this, you'll loose your low presence. Forever," Riko said.

Kuroko turned towards Ryuto, his own surprise on his face.

Ryuto let out a breath and looked both teens in the eyes. "I know that, but I don't care. Just like my Zone, I don't care if I loose an asset because I know someone will fill in the gap that I left. Plus, I've been able to use a lot of my moves without it, so it's no biggie if I loose it." Ryuto smiled as he finished his statement and clasped his hands behind his head.

Kuroko smiled and nodded, understanding Ryuto's words. Riko understood them too, but her concern grew the more she thought about it.

"Just be careful," Riko said.

Ryuto placed a hand on her shoulder. "I will. Just trust me."

 _End Flashback_

 _I do trust you, Ryuto. More than anything._

Ryuto redirected another pass, which led to Mitobe scoring. With three minutes left in the quarter, Seirin managed to secure a steady lead. Ryuto's use of misdirection had thrown everyone for a loop and it caused for CCHS to have to reevaluate their strategy.

For Ryuto, however, moving around the court to redirect passes was really taxing on his stamina. _Man, how does Kuroko do this for so long._ He could tell his passes were getting sloppy and it was only a matter of time until his low presence wore out.

In the stands, the first to pick up Ryuto's fading low presence was Midorima; who was quick to point out the down side.

"If this keeps up, he won't be able to use that ever again. No doubt he learned how to do that to take us on," Midorima said as he pushed up his glasses.

Takao knew by 'us,' Midorima meant the Generation of Miracles. He turned back towards the court and smiled. His friend had improved a lot in such a short time.

 _You just keep getting better, don't you, Ryuto?_ Seijūrō thought.

Meanwhile, Satsuki and Aomine watched Ryuto redirect passes with awe and surprise. Never had they anticipated that Ryuto would be able to do something so similar to Kuroko.

"Heh, I'm getting fired up to play him again," Aomine said as a smile formed on his face.

 _If he continues doing this, he'll never be able to use it again,_ Satsuki thought as he expression shifted to one of worry.

Clark and Alex felt similarly as the Generation of Miracles. Clark knew about Ryuto's low presence and how it worked. However, seeing him redirect passes and be practically invisible on the court. Along with many in the stands, he was quick to noticed how there only seemed to be nine players on the court. _Damn, I would've never known he's get this strong._

Alex gave a worried smile as she continued to watch the match. _He always seems to overdo things._

After another redirected pass and score, Ryuto placed his hands on his knees and panted hard. He wiped his forehead of sweat and slowly straightened himself out. _By now they should be able to start seeing me. It should be a matter of time until my passes get picked off. In three months, this is the best I could do. Nowhere near as good as Kuroko, but it'll have to do._

Ryuto redirected another pass and sent it towards Kagami, but it was cut off by Barry. All of Seirin's eyes had widened; Ryuto's low presence had run out. Ryuto mumbled a curse and chased after his opponent, but his exhaustion was catching up to him. Barry scored a dunk and brought Seirin's lead back to one point; 50-49. With a minute left in the quarter, it was still anyone's game.

Ryuto panted heavily as the CCHS players passed him. He looked towards the ceiling, feeling the sweat drip down his face. Never had he anticipated to use up so much stamina. He now clearly understood the great importance Kuroko was to the team. He looked towards the blue-haired boy, who eyed with worry. Ryuto smiled and gave him a thumbs up. Kuroko returned the smile with his own and nodded. Ryuto turned towards CCHS and jogged for offense. He still had enough energy to finish the quarter.

As Izuki dribbled down the court, Ryuto called out for a pass. Izuki nodded and sent him a pass. Barry stood in front of him, ready for whatever the Japanese teen would do. However, his eyes widened in surprise as the grey-haired teen simply slipped by him.

 _What the hell, I didn't even register the crossover,_ Barry thought as he turned around.

Ryuto avoided Diggle and scored a lay up. When his feet touched the court again he let out a breath.

 _Is he in the Zone?_

Ryuto turned around and CCHS expected Ryuto to have lightning in his eyes, but found they only showed determination.

"What's wrong, giving up already?" Ryuto said as a cocky smile formed on his face

Barry was left dumbfounded. He had never seen Ryuto make an expression like that one before.

"We'll stop them here and make sure they don't score again!" Hyuga called out.

"Yeah!" the team said in unison.

Oliver rolled his eyes. "They're acting as if it's the fourth quarter. Cisco!"

Cisco turned towards the blonde and passed the ball.

"I'll show them just how meaningless that type of confidence is," Oliver muttered as he set up for a shot.

Oliver released his shot, it sailed through the air and into the hoop.

In the stands, Midorima narrowed his eyes at the sight of Oliver's shot.

"It's as if Seirin forgot about him," Takao said, vocalizing what Midorima was thinking.

As the clock continued to count down, both teams made their final push. On Seirin's offense, Izuki dribbled the ball at the three point line, and Cisco closed the distance between the both them. Izuki gritted his teeth, frustrated that he could not find an opening. Mitobe then screen Cisco and allowed him to attack the basket. As Snart and Diggle closed in on him, Izuki passed the ball to Kagami. Kagami attacked the basket and jumped for a dunk. Barry jumped to block the shot, but as he did, he collided with Kagami. Losing his momentum on the jump, Kagami threw the ball at the backboard and it began to spin around in the hoop. Both teams watched as the ball spun then finally come to a stop and fell into the basket. The referee counted the basket and and called Barry for the foul.

"Foul, number 4! Red. Basket counts! One free throw!"

The crowd erupted in cheers after watching the play, and Seirin high fived Kagami and Izuki. There were five seconds left and Seirin remained in the lead.

Kagami was given the ball by the referee when everyone had set up for the free throw. Kagami let out a breath and set for the shot. He released the shot and scored without touching the rim.

CCHS was quick on the inbound. But as they set up, they were met by Seirin's full court defense.

 _Dammit, they really don't want us to score,_ Snart thought.

Out of the corner of his eye he saw Barry break away from his mark. Snart clicked his tongue in frustration and sent the pass towards his captain. Barry caught the ball and sprinted down the court at max speed. When he neared the basket, he jumped for a dunk, but he was caught by surprise when he saw Ryuto jumping to block him. His hand then collided with the ball and the two began to fight in the air. Barry's surprise morphed into frustration and he began to yell.

 _I won't let you stop me._

Barry managed to power through Ryuto's block and slammed the ball into the hoop. Ryuto lost his balanced and landed on his butt. Barry hung on the rim for a moment and landed back on the ground. The teen stared at each other, ignoring everything around them. Barry tightened the grip of his fist and turned away.

Ryuto was helped up by Kagami who also helped him walk back to the bench. Before talking with his teammates, he looked over to CCHS, especially towards Barry, he felt a smile creep on him, but it quickly disappeared.

When he made it back to the bench, the first person he talked to was Kuroko.

"Thanks, Kuroko," Ryuto said.

"I'm glad things worked out," Kuroko said turning to the score board.

Ryuto looked towards it as well. He had not even registered that the quarter had ended and they still had the lead; 55-54.

"It did. Though I wish we could've widened the score gap," Ryuto said turning back to Kuroko.

Kuroko nodded in response. "That would've been better."

"You make what you do so easy. Now I know just how much you mean to this team," Ryuto said with a smile. He then held up his closed his fist.

Kuroko smiled. "As do I." He held up his closed fist and the two boys fist bumped.

On CCHS's side, Barry watched the conversation between the two. He could not hear what they were saying, but it made his frustration grow. _Despite everything, I will beat you. I want to prove them I'm better._ Barry's brows came together and he turned away.

"Let's go. We have to plan for the next half," Barry said in a serious tone.

His tone caught everyone by surprise, but they followed their captain nonetheless.

Both teams walked off the court and began to prepare for the next half. Both knowing that they wanted to win.

—-

Clark let out a breath as he watched both teams walk off the court. He could feel the pressure both teams emitted form where he was. He could see just how strong everyone had become and he had no doubts they had become better than him. He turned to Alex, who was giving the dog attention. He gave a small smile and turned back to the court.

"What's wrong?" Alex asked.

"Nothing. Just impressed at how good everyone has gotten," Clark responded.

"Trust me, you haven't seen anything yet," Alex said.

The dog barked, seemingly in response to Alex. Alex quieted the dog down, but Clark could not help but laugh.

"What's the his name?"

"Nigou. Number 2 in English," Alex answered.

"What a weird name," Clark said with a laugh.

 **AN: With that this chapter comes to an end. Sorry for the brevity of it, but I hope you enjoyed it nonetheless. With this chapter, I'm finally did something I've wanted to do since I started this series: giving Ryuto misdirection! I gave it to him and took it away. I was never going to have him keep it and I explained why in the chapter. Also him losing his low presence is to show his growth from the last story to this one. With that out of the way, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Feel free to follow, favorite, and/or review if you did enjoy. Stay tuned for the next one!**


	21. Chapter 19

Chapter 19

Rising Intensity

 _And Barry Allen slams the ball into the hoop just as the buzzer sounds!_

 _He managed to push through Rishihara's block to get that point. He did not want to leave the half empty handed._

 _We've seen some incredible stuff tonight folks, and I'm sure the next half will be just as intense. Now to the halftime report._

"Dad, did you see that? Barry totally knocked Ryu on his ass!" Iris exclaimed as she jumped off the couch.

"I did, and it was impressive," Joe replied as he sat back on the couch.

Joe and Iris West, Barry's foster parent and sister, were up at practically three in the morning to watch the game. They had watched each previous game as well, but the match against Seirin proved to be the one they were most invested in.

Iris sat back down on the couch and let out a breath. "Who knew this could get so exciting."

"You say that as if the other five games haven't been nail-biters," Joe said, looking towards his daughter.

"Well they have been, but none as intense as this one. Honestly those Generation of Miracles, or whatever, are so incredibly strong. I wish I could interview them for the school paper," Iris said with his final sentence being a murmur.

Joe rolled his eyes, but could not help letting out chuckle. He turned his attention back to the television and read the stats for both teams. To him it seemed ridiculous that such high level play could be achieved with just high schoolers, but after watching the other five games, it now seemed plausible.

"To think Japanese basketball would be like this. Those guys are so good. It's almost like they have basketball superpowers," Iris said.

"You got that right," Joe agreed.

He then stood up and started to walk out of the family room. "Call me when the third quarter starts."

"Got it," Iris replied.

—-

Caitlin let out a relieved sigh as the second quarter came to a close. Despite how late it was, she did not feel tired at all. She had kept quiet the whole first half. The game had kept her on the edge of her seat. Her friend on the other hand spoke her mind more often.

"Damn, who knew this game would be so intense," Cadence said as he landed back on the couch.

"The highlights of the previous games don't do the actual thing justice," Caitlin added.

"I would only see the final scores, so I had no idea things could be like that. I mean, did you see those passes?!" Cadence exclaimed.

Caitlin nodded. "They do seem impossible." _Though, I'm starting to think that anything is possible when it comes to those players_.

"Are the other Generation of Miracles as strong as the blue haired kid and Ryu?" Cadence asked turning towards Caitlin.

"I think they are. Maybe they're better. Watching the highlights isn't enough for me to form an opinion," Caitlin answered.

"Well, whatever the case," Cadence said as she jumped to her feet, "I'm definitely curious to see what happens next. I wonder who'll get knocked on their ass next."

Cadence walked towards the kitchen, leaving Caitlin alone. She glanced at her phone, wondering if she should send a message of encouragement to her friends, but she was hesitant.

The sportscasters kept talking about things that did not make sense to her, so she tuned them out and focused on watching the replays. Most of the technical stuff went over her head, but she could still notice a good play or movement when she saw one. The years she spent watching her friends play together help greatly. Watching Ryuto move in the second quarter had her curious as to what else he had learned while in Japan. She also noticed how similar is was to Seirin's number 10, his name was Tetsuya if she remembered correctly. Not only him, but everyone she knew was playing hard; harder than they ever had.

Caitlin glanced her phone again and picked it up. She sucked in a breath and opened the messaging app. She typed up a short message, _Keep playing hard,_ and hit send. She let out her breath and set down her phone. She had sent it to her friends on the CCHS team as well as Ryuto. He could feel her cheeks warm up, but she quickly controlled herself.

"Alright then, let's see what happens next," Cadence said as she sat back down on the couch.

Caitlin nodded in response and turned her attention to the television. She knew no one would respond to her message.

—

Ryuto moved his left ankle in a circle, making sure it was not in pain. It had been a long time since his injury and it had fully healed since, but he wanted to be sure. He let out a breath and put his shoe back on. He turned his attention forwards, where Riko was going to start going over the game plan. They had used up one of their trump cards early, so now they had to come up with a new strategy.

"Um, I have an idea," Kuroko's monotone voice said and hand raised.

All the attention in the room shifted over towards Kuroko.

"I think I should start this next quarter."

Hyuga let out a breath. "Are you sure? That Snart guy know your tricks."

Riko then let out a gasp and everyone turned towards her. "You want to use Overflow?"

Kuroko nodded. "I think it is our best bet."

"We won't be able to take our time to use it. Snart will force you to lose your presence quicker," Ryuto added.

"I know the risk there is when it comes to this, but it's our only shot," Kuroko replied.

The room fell silent. Everyone was processing Kuroko's words. They had used the very same strategy during the rematch against Tōō during the Winter Cup.

"Whatever happens, I'll back him up," Kagami said.

Kuroko turned towards the red head, who had a smile on his face.

"I am your light after all."

"You might have to go into the Zone when Overflow runs out," Ryuto cautioned.

Kagami closed his hand, forming a fist. He looked towards it, then back to his teammates.

"If it comes to that, I will."

Ryuto let out a chuckle and stood up. He walked over to Kagami and held up his closed fist.

"Show them the strength of the first year duo."

Kagami nodded and fist bumped his friend. The two looked at each other with the same expression they did all those years ago when they first met, the first time they acknowledged each others strength.

"Well, we have that game plan. We still need a back up, just in case," Riko said.

The team nodded in agreement and began to draw up another plan. Everyone silently hoped that they did not have to use it.

—-

"Hey, Barry."

Barry rapidly blinked his eyes and lightly shook his head as his attention was brought back to the locker room. He looked to the side to see Cisco holding out a water bottle. He silently thanked him and took the bottle. Cisco let out a sigh and sat next to his friend.

"You're more worked up than usual."

"What do you mean?" Barry asked.

"I've never seen you talk so seriously," Cisco answered.

Barry's mind flashed back to when the team was gathering their things for halftime. He remembered the tone he used to get everyone to follow him. He wanted to win, no matter the cost.

"I just want to win," Barry said.

"We all do," Cisco said as he placed a hand on Barry's shoulder.

All conversations ceased as soon as the door to the locker room opened and in walked Coach Wells and Coach Stein, with Felicity behind them. They knew that their coaches and analyst had come up with a game plan for the next half.

Wells pushed up his glasses and the glare from the light covered his eyes. "We'll be starting the next half with the same players."

The five that were on the court nodded and prepared to listen to the game plan.

"Felicity," Coach Wells said.

The blonde nodded and walked in front of the two coaches.

"Right, well, here's what they'll likely do next half. Obviously based off on data from previous games and…"

Felicity stopped speaking when Coach Wells cleared his throat.

"Sorry. Back to business. Ryuto is likely yo be benched this quarter, due to overexerting himself. His sub will either be Shinji Koganei and that would mean…"

Felicity explained the intricacies of what the change in players meant. However, to the five that were listening, none of them viewed that sub as a threat. To them, he was a placeholder until Ryuto was rested enough to keep playing.

"There's also the chance that Tetsuya Kuroko will sub for him. That would lead to-" "Misdirection Overflow," Snart said, cutting off Felicity.

"Basically."

"Don't worry about Tetsuya. If he comes back on the court I'll handle him. I'll shut him down and his Overflow," Snart said, confidence in his tone.

"Careful Snart, even Daiki was bested by Overflow," Barry warned.

Snart waved him off. "Daiki is moron. He plays based on instinct. I have everything I need to win calculated."

"That moron completely shut you down yesterday," Cisco said.

Snart was angered by the comment, but nothing to retaliate. He simply glared at the point guard, who returned it with a glare of his own.

"If you can handle him Snart, then I'll leave it to you," Coach Wells said. "Now then, let's get ready for the next half."

"Yes, Coach," the team said in unison.

—

Both teams walked back onto the court with a roar of applause from the crowd. They were all expecting for this second half to be just as exciting as the first.

The Generation of Miracles all looked towards both teams with curiosity. They all wondered what each team would bring out in order to pull out the win. Aomine shifted in his seat as his gaze moved between Snart and Barry to Kagami, Kuroko, and Ryuto. Midorima kept his eyes on Oliver, curious to see what the blonde would do. Kise watched both teams closely. Seijūrō kept his hardened gaze on both teams. Murasakibara seemed indifferent as he munched on snacks, but Tatsuya next to him focused on the match for both of them.

Back on the court, the referee blew his whistle and both team's fives players walked onto the court.

CCHS surveyed their opponents and noticed that Ryuto was on the bench and Kuroko had taken his place. A sly smile formed on Snart's face as his icy-blue eyes remained locked on Kuroko.

Kuroko turned his gaze towards Snart and the their gaze's met. Kuroko tugged on the sweatband on his wrist and turned away from him.

 _Bring it on Tetsuya. I'll crust you and your Overflow,_ Snart thought with the smile on his face widening.

 _I'll make sure you don't stop me this time, Snart-san,_ Kuroko thought.

The referee gave the ball to Snart for the inbound and with the sound of his whistle the game resumed.

Seirin tightened their defensive formation as Cisco brought the ball to the three point line and waited for what they would do next.

 _Okay, so this time they benched Ryuto for Tetsuya, so they still have a center,_ Cisco thought.

Before he could make a move, his vision shifted and saw that Izuki was going to lunge for the ball and steal it. His vision returned to normal and he avoided the steal with a crossover. He used the moment to drive towards the basket. However, the center did not move to stop his advance. He kept his defense on Diggle. Cisco stopped his advance at the free throw line and set up for a shot. As he went to release the ball, it was swatted down by Seirin's center, Mitobe.

 _Damn, he was waiting for me to set up for a shot. I should have seen something so obvious coming,_ Cisco thought.

Izuki picked up the loose ball and drove down the court. He was quickly overtaken by Barry, who defended the basket. Izuki smiled and passed the ball to the side, where Kuroko was setting up for an Ignite Pass. Barry's eyes widened as he saw Kagami sprint by him. Kuroko then thrusted his palm onto the ball and it shot forwards at high speeds. Kagami jumped and grabbed the ball, quickly turning it around and slamming it into the hoop.

The crowd let out a cheered loudly for Seirin's point and marveled at the action the first play brought.

On the court, Seirin celebrated their score; the bench cheered as well.

"Hey, Snart, I thought you'd stop him?" Barry called out.

Snart rolled his his eyes. "Relax, I know what I'm doing."

Barry reluctantly nodded and jogged towards offense.

As the quarter continued, Snart continued to put pressure onto Kuroko. Whenever Kuroko tired to make a move, Snart was there to stop him.

On the bench, Ryuto kept his eyes focused on Snart and Kuroko. The way Snart moved, was very similar to how Imayoshi had defended him. Ryuto placed a hand on his chin and processed everything. Imayoshi had countered Kuroko by reading everyone else's line of sight, as for Kuroko's passes needed eye contact for them to work. Snart was doing something similar, but Ryuto could feel there was something different as well.

 _The way he moves._ In his mind flashed Snart's movements, his footwork. Then Kuroko's movements flashed. _Can he see Kuroko?_ Ryuto shook his head. _That's impossible._ _He had time for his low presence to return to him. He has to be doing what Imayoshi had done._

In the stands, Tōō watched the game closely. They also noticed how similar Snart was defending Kuroko as Imayoshi did.

"Is he doing what you did, Imayoshi-senpai?" Sakurai asked.

"It seems like he is, but he's doing it better than I ever could," Imayoshi answered.

"That guy is crazy smart," Aomine said. "I'm pretty sure he could do what Imayoshi did, but much more effectively."

"Meaning?" Susa asked.

"He only needs to give a quick glance in the mirror," Aomine said.

Back on the court, Kuroko caught a pass and was met by Snart. Kuroko brought the ball to his side and quickly cut in diagonally. However, before he could fully break away from Snart, he turned around and slapped the ball out of his hand. Kuroko's eyes turned towards Snart and they widened when he saw that his eyes were wide open.

Oliver picked up the loose ball and quickly set up for a shot at half court. He released and the ball sailed in the air and through the hoop.

"I thought I told you, I know how to stop you," Snart said.

"I don't believe that," Kuroko replied, composing himself.

Snart rose an eyebrow. "I know all your tricks. This whole time you've been trying to get Overflow to activate."

In the stands, Aomine chuckled softly. "Sometimes, he can be an idiot."

"And I counted on that fact."

Snart turned towards the scoreboard, there were five minutes left in the third quarter. He turned back to Kuroko, who was still standing in front of him; a confident smile on his face.

"Kagami-kun!"

"About time!" Kagami called out.

All the attention on the court turned to Kagami, and saw the red lightning in his eyes.

 _So, this was their plan,_ Ryuto thought with a chuckle. _Not even I would come up with this._

"It's combination of Misdirection Overflow and Taiga's Zone," Tatsuya said, amazed at the turn of events.

Back on the court, Izuki passed the ball to Kagami and as Barry moved to defend him, Kuroko appeared in his line of sight and it was as if Kagami had disappeared. All of CCHS looked to see Kagami slam the ball into the basket, all of them had shocked expressions on their face.

"Snart, Allen! Now!" Coach Wells yelled from the bench.

The two teens were brought out from their shock and back into the game. The two players focused and closed their eyes. When they opened them again, a red orange lightning and icy blue lightning appeared in their eyes.

"Heh, looks like we got our hands full, right Kuroko?" Kagami said with a laugh.

"Indeed we do, Kagami-kun," Kuroko replied.

"Let's show them what we got," Kagami said.

Kuroko nodded and the two prepared to take the offensive.

Ryuto laughed to himself, garnering the attention of everyone on the bench.

"So, that's their plan. Man, those two are something else," Ryuto said aloud.

"What're you talking about?" Koganei asked, scratching his head in confusion.

"I get it," Riko said. "Kagami-kun plans on using his Zone to become the center of attention. Thus making Kuroko-kun become invisible again."

Ryuto nodded in agreement. _This is the power of the first year duo. Seirin's light and shadow._

On the court, on full display was Kuroko and Kagami's teamwork. What Riko had said had come to pass, because of Kagami's use of Zone, Kuroko became an after thought and he was able to send passes all around the court. The Generation of Miracles had pieced together that by not fully activating Misdirection Overflow, Seirin could still use it if need be.

Even with two people in the Zone, CCHS found it difficult in keeping up with Kagami and Kuroko's teamwork. The duo took advantage of CCHS's lack of communication and teamwork to score point after point. However, CCHS was also scoring points. Kagami alone was not enough to contain both Snart and Barry.

Barry's unparalleled speed meant that Kagami could barely keep up. Meanwhile, Snart froze people in place and scored undefended each time. Kuroko could barely put up any defense even with his low presence regained. With a minute left in the quarter, and the score being tied at 82, both teams continued to push forwards.

In the stands, Clark took in the intensity, to the point where he had to take off his glasses. He could feel the sweat pouring down and he was not even playing.

"They're going at it with all they've got and it isn't even the fourth quarter. Plus three people in the Zone. I don't remember ever seeing anything this intense before," Clark said.

"You're right. Though compared to Taiga, those two don't have enough experience in the Zone," Alex said.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Clark asked.

"Taiga could use the Zone again next quarter as well, while the other two will have to push themselves even harder than before," Alex explained.

"But what if those two can keep it going?" Clark asked.

Alex turned to him, surprised by the question. He found the teen looking back towards the court, his eye ablaze taking in every detail. She smiled. Alex could see how much the teen missed playing basketball. She decided against answering his question and watched the final moments of the quarter play out.

On the court, Cisco dribbled the ball at the three point line. There were fifteen seconds left on the clock and they were leading by two. He had expected that once Barry and Snart had entered the Zone they would score point after point. He saw Barry break away from his mark with ease and call out for a pass. Cisco positioned himself to pass, but his vision shifted and he saw Kuroko steal the ball. Cisco shifted his body and sent a pass towards Snart, but it was cut off by Kagami. Cisco cursed loudly as he saw the red head sprint down the court ready to slam the ball into the hoop. However, Barry over took him with his superior speed and ready to defend.

 _Wait, he's standing too far in,_ Coach Wells thought. "Move closer, Barry!"

However, his words reached the teen too late as Kagami had already jumped from the free throw line. Barry's eyes widened at the height from which Kagami was off the ground and he could not believe his eyes.

"Meteor Jam!"

Kagami then threw the ball into the basket just as the buzzer rang, signaling the end of the quarter.

"No way. I can't stop that," Barry muttered in disbelief.

The quarter finished in a tie, 86-86. Both teams walked off the court, knowing that the next quarter would decide everything. Both knew it was now that they had to give it their all.

—-

On Seirin's bench, they congratulated the players for managing the keep the game close and that they still could reach victory. The players that sat on the bench were quick to point out that their opponents were not going to make it easy for them.

"That's right, but we have them right where we want them. Their key players are tired out, no doubt they'll sub them out in order to give them some rest. Now's our chance to hit them hard," Riko said.

Everyone nodded in agreement.

"However, Kuroko-kun and Kagami-kun," Riko said turning towards the two, "you two will be benched as well. I need you two to go back in at near full strength for when those two go back in."

The two teens nodded in response.

"I understand," Kuroko said.

"The same goes for me," Kagami added.

 _That went over better than I expected,_ Riko thought. "Ryuto-kun, Koga. You two will sub for them."

"You got it," the two said in unison.

—-

"Snart, Barry, you two will remain on the bench," Coach Wells said.

The two teens were about to protest, but the look on their coach's face quickly shut them down.

"I need you two to conserve your strength for when that duo comes back in. Plus the pace of the game is bound to slow down."

The two teens nodded in response.

"If I may add something, Coach," Felcity said.

Coach Wells nodded and took a few steps back.

"Right now, you two almost his your limits. Barry, I'm sure you could feel your legs shaking when the buzzer rang and I'm sure Snart felt something similar," Felicity said

The two teens subconsciously grabbed a leg and could feel them shaking.

"The same goes for that duo. When you four are both fully rested is when this game will reach its climax," Felicity said.

The two teens nodded in response and did not argue.

"Rene, switch with Snart. Palmer, you're in for Barry," Coach Wells said.

"We won't let you down, sir," Ray said.

"Finally, some game time."

The buzzer rang, signaling the start of the next quarter. Both teams walked onto the court, ready to decide who would be the victor. As Ryuto walked onto the court, CCHS were quick to turn their gazes towards them. Ryuto met their gazes and smiled.

"Let's get this started," he said.

His teammates nodded in response and prepared for the final quarter.

 **AN: With that, this chapter comes to an end. Sorry for the brevity of it, but everything I needed to say is all there. I hope you enjoyed this chapter and sorry for the long wait. I hope to deliver chapters in a more timely manner now. We're inching ever closer to this story's conclusion so I hope it's as exciting as I'm picturing it in my head. Stay tuned for the next chapter. If you're enjoying this story, feel free to follow, favorite, and/or review if you haven't already. Remember, I do NOT own Flash or Kuroko's Basketball. I only own my character and the plot.**


	22. Chapter 20

Chapter 20

Surpassing The Limits

Izuki dribbled the ball at the three point line. He surveyed the opponents defense, in particular the two new players. The player guarding Koganei was a power forward, who they had little information on. The player guarding Ryuto was their tall point guard Ray Palmer. He knew the guy was smart, but he was not as good as thinking on his feet.

Izuki had payed close attention to all of CCHS's point guards when they were on the court. Cisco, Ray, and Curtis had their own unique skills and Izuki had ways to work around them. His gaze shifted towards Ryuto who shifting his gaze between him and Ray. When the they locked eyes, the two nodded.

"Ryuto!"

Izuki shifted to pass, but the defense was quick to react. _Just as expected._ However, Izuki changed the direction of his pass and sent it to Hyuga. He caught the pass and quickly set up for a shot, scoring a three. Seirin took the lead at the start of the fourth quarter.

"They got on the board quick," Clark said.

Alex nodded in response. "That's just like them."

Back on the court, Cisco sent a pass to Rene and as soon as the teen grabbed the ball, he drove towards the basket; leaving Ryuto stunned. Mitobe moved to defend him, but got caught by Rene's fake pass and allowed for him to score. As CCHS jogged towards defense, Cisco high-fived Rene, congratulating him on his point.

Ryuto picked up the ball to get ready for the inbound, but he glanced over to Rene. _I see. That's what he can do._

After another point from Seirin, CCHS was back on the offensive. As Cisco reached the three point line, Izuki closed the gap between them. Cisco brought the ball to his side to avoid it getting swatted out of his hands. As he set up for a dribble, his vision shifted and he saw Izuki stealing the ball. _That's what he's planning._ Cisco stopped his attempt at a dribble and locked eyes with Rene.

Nodding, Rene moved closer to Cisco and he sent him a weak pass. Rene caught the ball and prepared to drive, but Ryuto stood two arm lengths away from him.

"I figured you out. You need me to be close for your drive to work. It creates the opening you need. We're the same in that way."

Rene clicked his tongue in frustration and tried to drive forwards, but Ryuto stopped him at every turn.

 _Normally, this would be an awful position, as it opens up for him to shoot. But it seems that his shooting percentage is low since he hasn't attempted it,_ Ryuto thought.

As the shot clock continued to wind down, Rene sent a pass towards Oliver. The blonde caught the ball and released it, scoring a three.

As the team jogged to defense, Rene mumbled a curse that only Oliver caught.

"Don't sweat it," Oliver said.

Rene looked towards Oliver, who kept his eyes forwards.

"His observational skills on the court are some of the best I've seen. I wouldn't put it past him to figure you out in a single play," Oliver said before increasing the pace of his jog.

"Was that supposed to be a pep talk?" Rene muttered as he stared at Oliver's back.

On Seirin's turn at offense, Izuki sent a pass towards Ryuto and Rene got in a position to defend him.

 _I can't let him get past me,_ Rene thought.

"I'll show you how to really attack the basket," Ryuto said as he dribbled the ball in his right hand.

"Huh?"

Before Rene could even react, Ryuto crossed over and disappeared from Rene's view. Rene let out a surprised gasp and turned around to see Ryuto score a dunk.

The crowd began to cheer wildly at the play. All yelling how Ryuto's crossover was still unstoppable. While the Generation of Miracles were more surprised that he could even pull off the move.

"He did it without using his low presence," Tatsuya said, astonishment laced in his voice.

Others echoed similar words, with Aomine being the one to figure it out; who was sitting no where near Tatsuya.

"He's gotten to the point where his moves no longer require low presence. He's just gotten that skilled."

 _He's improved that much since arriving here. No doubt he wouldn't have gotten this strong had he joined Rakuzan,_ Seijūrō thought.

Back on the court, Coach Wells clicked his pen at a rapid pace. To those around him, that meant he was either thinking or frustrated. Sometimes, even both.

 _That'll be more damaging to Rene's mental strength than anything. He prides himself in his drives, but take that away and put him against someone who's better, he's bound to break down._

He turned towards Barry, who was watching the players move closely. Absorbing every movement in order to counter them in the best way possible. Even if he did not show it, Snart was doing the same.

 _I can't put them in yet. They haven't rested nearly enough. In any other game I would leave them benched, but not in this one._

Wells turned towards the scoreboard, there were still seven minutes left. Plenty of time to turn things around. But he was worried that Seirin would score too many points before they had a chance to catch up. The sound of the buzzer signaling the score broke him from his thoughts. He looked up to see Oliver scoring a three from the half court line. Coach Wells looked again towards the scoreboard, 94-93, they were only behind by one.

Coach Wells opened his mouth to call out a defensive play, but before he could everyone on the bench began to chant 'defense.' He looked back to the players on the court and saw them relax somewhat. Coach Wells closed his mouth and smiled to himself. Sometimes it was best to let others handle things.

On Seirin's bench, they were surprised at the loud chanting that came from their opponents. They had been doing it too, but theirs seemed more powerful.

"Man, they sure are chanting loudly," Furihata said.

"They did seem to relax a bit though," Tsuchida added.

"It's probably 'cause they're such a strong team." Kagami said.

"What do you mean?" Kawahara asked.

"During our middle school day, we never needed to pump anyone up for defense. We always knew that if we played a strong defense we'd defeat our opponents. Of course being so overwhelmingly strong there was never a need for it. We never felt threatened," Kagami explained.

"You're team really was the American Generation of Miracles," Fukuda said.

Riko, meanwhile, processed Kagami's information. In her head it was as if CCHS had never felt as if they had been backed into a corner. There was no doubt in her mind that that was how they were feeling.

On the court, Izuki sent a pass towards Hyuga, but it was cut off by Oliver.

"Crap!"

Oliver sprinted down the court, completely open. However, as he neared the three point line he stopped his advance to set up for a shot.

"Oliver you moron!" Cisco called out.

Before Oliver could stop, Ryuto jumped and swatted the ball out of Oliver's hands. Koga caught the loose ball and dribbled down the court. However, he was met by Rene's defense.

"Koga!" Ryuto called out.

Koga turned to the side and sent a pass towards Ryuto. He was met by Cisco, ready to defend him.

"Sorry about this," Ryuto mumbled.

Ryuto did two quick crossover, causing Cisco to fall to the floor. He dribbled past Cisco without giving him a second look and attacked the basket. As he jumped for a layup, much to his surprise, he saw Cisco jumping to try to block him. However, Ryuto switched the ball to his other hand to score a hook shot. As he released the ball, Cisco collided with him and the referee blew his whistle. The two teens landed on the court just as the ball sunk into the hoop.

"Foul! Pushing! Red, Number 5! Basket counts! One throw!"

The crowd exploded in cheers again, marveled at the exchange.

Meanwhile, Cisco glared at Ryuto. "To think, you'd ankle break me."

"You got back up. I'm surprised," Ryuto responded, in between pants.

"I wasn't going to let what happened with Seijūrō happen again."

Ryuto turned away from Cisco and walked towards the free throw line. "Next time, I won't give you the opportunity to get up."

Ryuto scored his free throw with ease, keeping Seirin ahead; but still only by one. As CCHS prepared for the inbound, the buzzer rang out. All the players turned towards the bench and saw Barry and Snart getting ready to enter.

Ryuto turned to the scoreboard, there were exactly five minutes left in the game.

On Seirin's bench, Kagami and Kuroko tensed up, waiting for Riko to tell them to go in.

"Wait, just bit longer," Riko said, sensing their unease.

"But Coach," Kagami argued.

"When the guys on the court can't handle it, then I'll put you two in. They're taking a huge risk by sending them in now. A risk I'm not willing to make," Riko explained.

"I understand," Kuroko said. "Kagami-kun, the coach is right. We should listen to her. I do feel similar to you, but I trust her judgement."

Kagami let out a defeat sigh. "Alright. I trust your decision."

"You should put more trust in your teammates," Riko said.

On the court, the five Seirin platers watched as Barry and Snart were swapped in for Rene and Ray.

"So, they're back on the court," Hyuga said, pushing up his glasses.

"We'll just have to be more careful in how we attack the basket," Izuki added.

Mitobe nodded in response.

"I'll handle Barry. I can take him on one-on-one. I'll trust you guys to stop Snart," Ryuto said.

The other four nodded in response and prepared for a tough five minutes.

In the stands, Clark watched as the two strongest players of CCHS walked on the court. He could tell how their team's mood changed with them coming back. What caught him by surprise was that Kagami and Kuroko were still on the bench.

"Why is Seirin's first year duo still on the bench?" Clark asked aloud.

"Don't know. Must be to let them rest longer," Alex answered.

The dog answered as well with low whine, which Alex responded to by petting it.

"So they're back, huh." Takao said.

"Indeed. No doubt they want to finish this game as soon as possible. They also likely felt that Seirin was backing them into a corner with the line up they had," Midorima responded.

"Also 'cause the idiot shooting guard stopped for a jump shot instead of going for a lay up," Takao said with a laugh.

"While I understand his pride as a shooter, that decision has been the poorest he's made all week. Not even I would've done that," Midorima replied, pushing up his glasses.

After Oliver scored a three pointer, Seirin prepared for offense. The mood on the court shifted the moment Izuki passed the ball to Ryuto and Barry moved to defend him. Ryuto slowly dribbled the ball, but he stood up right, not in an offensive stance. Barry, meanwhile, was the grey-haired teen closely. The words of Coach Wells earlier in the day continued to play in his mind.

 _I know that Ryuto's ball handling skills are good. I just need to get a read on his movements._

Ryuto got into an offensive stance and increased the pace of his dribbling. Barry tensed up, waiting for what he would do next.

With two quick crossovers, Barry fell to the ground. Surprise plastered on his face.

 _He ankle broke me._

Ryuto blazed past him and also avoided Diggle and scored a dunk. Ryuto landed back on the ground and jogged towards defense, not sparing a glance towards Barry.

Barry, who was still on the floor, looked towards his friend. He was really giving it his all in this match. In his sight fell an outstretched hand. Barry looked up to see Cisco. He took his friend's hand and Cisco pulled him up.

"He got you too, huh. Ryuto sure isn't holding back," Cisco said.

"I won't either," Barry replied.

"Let's get him back," Cisco said.

Barry nodded and set up for offense.

As the game continued, both teams played much more carefully and were slowly getting points. It was obvious fatigue was getting to the players that been playing the whole match, causing the game's pace to slow down. However the score was tied at and even 100. With three and a half minutes remained in the quarter, Seirin called a time out.

Ryuto sank once again in the empty ocean and reached the rusted door at the bottom. He opened it, but felt none of its power. He went through the door and continued to sink in another dark, empty ocean. What once was his Zone was now a place he simply fell. Feeling the power he once had. Far off in the distance he could see lightning flicker. A combination of red-orange and grey. Then icy blue and red. Followed by a bright red and navy blue. Finally another red flickered and vanished. He recognized all those colors and their owners. People he had faced off against and people he knew who had unlocked it. Grey flickered again, this time farther away and followed by the other colors.

He sank. His back to the second door that lay at the bottom, never getting closer. A door that he could not open. A door that only Kagami had managed to open. He landed on the ocean's floor, still on his back. He turned his gaze upwards to see a darkened door with a silhouette of someone in front of it. He assumed Kagami managed to get past the gatekeeper, it was the only way to open the door.

Above him all the lighting colors flashed in the same order as when he first saw them. He reach his hand upwards to try and maybe catch it, but he knew the effort was useless. What could he do to open that door? What was it that kept from opening it? During the match against Rakuzan he managed to slightly open it, but it slammed shut just as the game had ended. What had Kagami realized that allowed him to open it? Kagami had never told him. Ryuto simply accepted it and saw Kagami as someone who had surpassed him.

 _He really did get that strong._

Ryuto's head shot up. He heard the voice clearly, but was unsure as to where it came from. He turned to the silhouette, who remained motionless. The outline of someone vaguely familiar.

 _I wonder just how much stronger he'll get._

This time the voice was distinctly his. His head darted around him, trying to find the source. Was he experiencing a memory?

 _Why did you unlock the second state?_

 _I don't think I have the right criteria to open it yet._

Ryuto remembered this conversation. He had with Seijūrō. When he went to Kyoto a few weeks after the Winter Cup.

 _What makes you say that?_

 _Dunno. I just know it. Maybe I'm not meant to unlock it._

 _Ha? What did you ask me?_

A different voice this time. It sounded like Aomine.

 _How did you unlock your Zone? I want to know._

Ryuto remembered that conversation. He had asked to meet up Aomine after their match during the Winter Cup.

 _You don't just ask the guy you just beat these things._

 _I know that, but I have to know._

Aomine sighed. _Seeing you, Kagami, and Tetsu give it your all and managing to drive me into a corner triggered something in me. It reignited my passion and love for basketball. That's all there is to it._

Ryuto turned back to the door. This time there were four silhouette in front of it.

 _The person I trust to finish this game… is Ryuto-kun!_

Kuroko's voice.

 _Thanks for always having my back._

Kagami's voice.

 _Ryuto_

His teammates from Seirin.

 _Ryu-chan_

Takao and Satuski.

 _Ryutocchi._

Kise's voice.

 _Ryuto._

Kasamatsu and Tatsuya.

 _Ryuto-kun_

Riko's voice.

"Ryuto-kun."

Ryuto blinked rapidly as he was thrusted out from his thoughts. He looked up to see everyone staring at him.

"Sorry, I was spaced out."

Kagami snickered. "Clearly. You didn't even listen to the game plan"

Everyone around him began to laugh, and he joined in as well. He realized what he needed to do in order to open that door, but that would not be easy.

The buzzer then sounded, signaling the end of the timeout. Riko let out a breath and turned to Ryuto.

"An abridged version of the plan: Kagami and Kuroko are going in."

Ryuto nodded. "Simple enough."

"Let's go. Seirin…" Hyuga began to say.

"FIGHT!" the team finished before walking onto the court.

CCHS looked towards their opponents and noticed how Kuroko and Kagami were among the five.

"Looks like the dynamic duo is back," Oliver said.

"We'll still beat them," Barry replied.

"Right!"

The game resumed with the ball in Seirin's possesion. Izuki surveyed the defense carefully, catching the Snart was closely watching Kagami, but Barry was loosely guarding Ryuto. Izuki knew that the pass to Ryuto was too obvious, but they was CCHS was defending it left him with no other choice. Izuki turned to Ryuto and the two locked eye for a moment. Ryuto nodded and Izuki sent the pass towards him.

Ryuto caught the pass and got into a triple threat position, with Barry carefully watching him. As Ryuto began to do a crossover, everything around Barry seemed to slow down.

 _It's just like the one-on-one._

As the ball reached Ryuto's right hand, he began to drive towards the basket.

As everything returned to normal, Barry reached out and swatted the ball from Ryuto.

Everyone watched with their eyes wide at how Barry managed to stop Ryuto's Lightning Crossover. However, no one was more surprised than Ryuto.

Cisco picked up the loose ball and began to dribbled down the court, but Izuki, recovering quickly from the shock, managed to get ahead of him to stop his advance. Cisco slowed down and tossed the ball to his side, where Barry was there to catch it. He drove towards the basket and slammed the ball into it.

The crowd exploded in cheers at how someone else had managed to stop Ryuto's seemingly invincible drive.

Ryuto, meanwhile, stared at his hand in disbelief. He had thought he had perfect his crossover to the degree that no one could stop it. Not since Seijūrō had someone managed to stop his drive. He looked up towards Barry, who stared him down from across the court. The two boys locker eyes and Ryuto could see the spark of red-orange lighting in his eyes.

 _He did use the Zone. But how did he enter it so quickly?_

"Hey, you alright?" Kagami asked as he jogged to Ryuto's side.

"I'm fine. Just a bit surprised."

"He stopped your crossover. You even practiced that with me in the Zone," Kagami said.

"I know that. Maybe Barry is just that fast now. Plus, he's in the Zone," Ryuto replied.

"Then I should-" "Not yet," Ryuto said cutting him off, "I have a plan."

On Seirin's next offensive, Izuki sent a pass towards Kagami, but Barry cut it off; leaving a trail of red-orange lighting on his wake. Everyone turned to see him slam the ball into the basket, scoring another point for CCHS. Luckily, on their next offensive, Seirin managed to score with Kuroko redirecting a pass towards Hyuga.

Ryuto, once again, stood in front of the four silhouettes. He walked towards them, but they did not move. As he got closer to them, the four turned around and pushed the door open. The light from the door revealed who the silhouettes were: Aomine, Seijūrō, Kagami, and Kuroko.

 _I understand now. I have to rely on what I learned here, not what I had in the past. The skills I had to learn to defeat those who were stronger than me._

Ryuto stepped through the door and was greeted by all the friends and rivals he had made in Japan. He was now ready to take on Barry at full strength.

Back on the court, Cisco passed the ball to Barry, the lighting still present. Ryuto moved to defend, but Barry could not get a read on his opponent. His hair covered his eyes.

 _I'll just blow past this weak defense._

As Barry drove towards the basket, leaving Ryuto behind, he felt as if a massive presence was behind him. Then the ball was slapped out of his hand and rolled into the out of bounds. The court was silent, even the crowd did not utter a word.

The Generation of Miracles and everyone who Ryuto looked towards him. Eyes wide in surprise. Coach Wells mumbled what most were thinking.

"That's impossible. His Zone was supposed to be gone."

Barry looked back towards Ryuto, his hair still covering his eyes. He then looked up to meet Barry's gaze and he revealed for all to see the grey lighting with a red outline.

"He's in the second state. He opened the door," Aomine said with a tone of amazement to his voice.

"Incredible, Ryu-chan," Satsuki added.

"Now is where the real game begins," Ryuto said.

Barely forty seconds had passed since the game resumed from the timeout and two players were ready to give their all. The pressure around the two players seemed to grow even more with each passing moment.

"So, you're really putting our past behind you," Barry finally said.

"Everything I've learned has lead to this moment. Right here, where I beat you, Barry," Ryuto said as he lunged for the ball.

Barry crossed over and avoided it, but was quickly met by Kagami, who was also in the Zone. Before he could crossover again, Kuroko slapped the ball out of his hand and Ryuto picked it up. Everything was happening just like his dream. He turned around to Ryuto dribbling down the court; an open lay up. In a burst of speed, Barry tried to slap the ball out of Ryuto's hand, but he tossed the ball to his side, where Kuroko was waiting. His palm then struck at the ball, launching it towards the basket. Kagami then passed all three boys and jumped to catch the ball before slamming it into the hoop.

Barry looked between all three Japanese boys and saw the determination to win etched on their faces.

"Fine then, I'll give everything I've got and show you just how strong I've gotten!"

The lightning in Barry's eyes intensified, causing the three teen to tense up. They knew now was not the time to let their guards down.

Soon after getting point became more difficult for both teams. Even Snart, who also entered the Zone not long after, found it difficult to score. each team traded blow after blow, only to come up short on scoring. With the clock reaching one minute and the score still tied at 108, it was likely that whoever scored next might take the game. However, everyone was caught off guard when Oliver scored a three from the other side of the court.

His cocky smile and confident chuckle was etched onto Seirin's faces.

"It seems they forgot about Oliver once again," Clark said as he let out a breath.

"With everything else that's going on, I don't blame them," Alex said.

 _This is unbelievable. Four players on the same court are in the Zone. Ryuto is even in the Zone's second state. Man, this is getting my heart racing,_ Clark thought.

On the court, the Seirin team panted as they prepared for offense. They knew what they had to do, but they also knew that CCHS would not let them do it.

"I'll act as a diversion and Kuroko will send the pass to Hyuga," Ryuto suggested. "I'll cut right through the middle."

"Are you sure that'll work?" Kagami asked.

"It's all I can think of," Ryuto said.

"Let's do it. I trust that it'll work," Izuki replied.

Hyuga and Kuroko nodded in agreement as well.

"Let's win this."

As Seirin set up for the inbound, they were surprised to see CCHS adopt a full court man-to-man defense.

 _Crap! They're not gonna let us get passes through._

"Do not let any of them touch the ball!" Coach Wells yelled from the sideline. He words were followed by the CCHS team chanting 'defense.'

Hyuga clicked his tongue in frustration. He scanned around the court and saw Kuroko break free from his mark.

 _Thank, God for Kuroko,_ Hyuga thought. Meanwhile, CCHS realized that Kuroko had regained his low presence.

He sent the pass to the blue haired teen, who redirected the pass towards Kagami. He caught the ball and began to dribble down the court, with Snart putting up a strong defense.

"Kagami!" Izuki called out.

Kagami sent the ball to the eagle-eyed point guard, who caught it and continued to advance.

"I won't let you through!" Cisco yelled.

"Don't worry, I'm not going to attack," Izuki yelled as he passed the ball to seemingly no one.

The ball then changed its course to an open Hyuga, who was ready to take his shot.

 _Dammit, I let him get past me!_ Oliver thought as he sprinted to try and stop his shot.

However, he was too late as Hyuga was already releasing his shot and scoring the three.

"All right!" Hyuga yelled out as he tied up the game.

With thirty five seconds left on the clock, the game was still tied up at 111.

On CCHS's inbound, Seirin adopted the same strategy as they did and defend everyone full court.

"We'll stop them here and they will not score again!" Hyuga called out.

His words bring out Seirin's resolve, while, unintentionally, sparking CCHS's as well. Diggle managed to find and open man and sent the pass to Oliver. However, he could not set up for a shot and Hyuga was guarding him up close. The closeness allowed for Oliver to dribbled past him. He saw Cisco break away from his defender and run towards the half court, but as he set up to defend, Kuroko slapped the ball out of his hand.

The loose ball was caught by Diggle, who managed to throw the ball down the court to Cisco. The point guard caught the ball and was intent on attacking the basket, but found Izuki's defense hard to penetrate.

"Cisco!" Snart called out.

Cisco turned to pass to Snart, but as he did so his vision shifted and he saw the pass being picked off by Kagami. As he went to change to where he sent the pass, Izuki jabbed at the ball causing it to come loose.

Barry picked up the loose ball and sprinted towards the basket, intent on scoring. As he jumped for the dunk, he saw a hand stop him. He looked to see that it was Kagami that was preventing him from scoring. The two teen grunted with effort, trying to for their strength to push through the other, but Kagami's strength won out and he pushed the ball out of Barry's hands.

The ball fell in front of a waiting Kuroko, who set up for his Ignite Pass Kai. Barry looked down the court to see Ryuto running towards the basket.

 _I wont let him win this!_

As soon as one of Barry's feet touched the ground, Kuroko launched the ball towards his teammate. He pivoted on his foot and sprinted down the court fully intent on stopping Ryuto. There were eight seconds left, enough time for Oliver to get a shot in the air.

As Ryuto jumped for the dunk, Barry was there, reaching him faster than ever before. Then time seemed slow down around him. Everything seemed like it was in slow motion.

Ryuto could get a good look on Barry's face, the determination to stop him, plain as day. Ryuto could not help but smile. In his mind flashed all the one-on-ones they had had in their years at CCMS. All the games they played together, and their final one-on-one before he left for Japan. His promise that he had made to him.

 _Flashback_

"This is goodbye then, huh?" Barry said as the two boys watched the sun set from the court in the park.

"Yup. I'm off to Japan tomorrow. My new life awaits," Ryuto replied, a hint of sadness in his voice.

The two remained silent, the sound of a metal fence rattling as Ryuto stood up broke the silence.

"I want you to promise me something," Ryuto began to say.

Barry turned to his grey-haired friend, who was not facing him.

"The next time we meet, I want you to have surpassed me. I want a game where we both have to give it our all. That's the kind of game I want to have against you," Ryuto said.

"How can I do that when you're that much better than me?" Barry asked.

Ryuto turned towards Barry only for him to see half his face, which was darkened by the setting sun. However, his smile was something he could clearly see.

"I know you will."

With that Ryuto began to walk away and out of Barry's life. Ryuto held a hand in the air waving him goodbye.

 _End Flashback_

 _I can tell that you kept your promise from that day. I have to admit you did surpass me. But coming to Japan made me realize that the level I was at was far too weak. I had to improve so much to beat Aomine, Kise, Midorima, and Seijūrō. You did surpass me, if I had stayed in the States. But the current me…_

"Will not lose to you!"

The buzzer sounded and everyone watching was left in awe. The members of the Generation of Miracles were too tensed up to say anything. Their teammates having similar emotions. On both teams' benches, they watched with bated breath at what the referee would call. Clark and Alex could not believe their eyes. The ones in Central City, still awake from the games' intensity, did not understand what made the two players push so hard.

The silence was broken by the sound of the basketball bouncing on the court.

 **AN: And with that, this chapter comes to an end, as well as the fourth quarter. Left you guys on quite the cliffhanger there didn't I. Leave a review on what you think the outcome of the game will be. Sorry for taking so long on the upload, life got in the way and I wasn't super happy with the first draft so I rewrote the whole thing. With that out of the way, I do hope you enjoyed this chapter, the way I envisioned the chapter ending has been in my head since I started this story. So I'm glad that I finally managed to put down on the page. The hope the enjoyment you felt reading this chapter reflects how I enjoyed writing it. Stay tuned for the outcome of this game and the ever looming conclusion of it (I'd say maybe 2 to 3 more chapter before it wraps up). Remember, if you enjoyed, feel free to follow, favorite, and/or review. Also, follow me on Twitter (link in my bio) you get updates for my stories there and bunch of other nonsense I talk about. Stay tuned for the next chapter!**


	23. Chapter 21

Chapter 21

And The Winner Is…?

The sound of an alarm going off rang out in a room. On the bed next to the desk, tossed and turned a body. With the groan, a hand extended from under the sheets and turned off the alarm. A boy removed the covers from his body and sat up on his bed, and stretched his arms into the air. His unkempt grey hair shot in all directions, this was Ryuto Rishihara: first year of Seirin High School.

"My body hurts," the teen grumbled.

It had been two days since the match against CCHS, and Ryuto still felt sore and tired. What was even worse was that he had an exam the following day and today as well. He barely made it to school on time for the exam on Tuesday and he had almost fallen asleep during it as well. Today was going to be no different. He let out a sigh and stood up from his bed. He looked towards his desk to see his study materials scattered around it. He put his notebooks in a neat pile and his extra paper in a separate, less neat, pile. As he moved another paper, he noticed it was covering a picture frame that was facing down.

He did not need to lift it up. He already knew what picture was stored in it. Ryuto placed his hand on it to lift it up, but hesitated and did not do it.

 _What am I doing? It's not like I hate them. Plus the game was two days ago. But why can't I face them?_

He let out another sigh exited his room, making his way to the kitchen. To his surprise, his uncle was not there cooking breakfast. Satsuki was in the kitchen, in her usual seat eating a bowl of cereal.

"Where's, Uncle?" he asked as he made his way to the fridge.

"He got to work early. He left something in fridge for you," Satsuki answered.

"For me?"

Ryuto opened the fridge to see a stack of three pancakes waiting for him. Ryuto giggled and took the plate, silently thanking his uncle.

"You should probably heat those up," Satsuki said.

"Yeah, I know. Did he make you some?" he asked as he made his way to the microwave.

Satsuki nodded happily. "I ate them already, but was still hungry."

"That's unusual," Ryuto said as he closed the microwave door.

"My exams start today. Can't be getting hungry during them," Satsuki responded, adding a smile.

Ryuto simply shrugged and prepared to eat his breakfast. The two remained silent for a few minutes, allowing themselves time to eat before discussing the elephant in the room. Ryuto had not seen Satsuki the previous morning, so they never had the conversation.

"That was quite the game on Monday," Satsuki finally said.

Ryuto nodded in response.

"I have to say, those last fifteen seconds were some of the tensed I've ever experienced."

Another nod as a response.

"Plus, that final push between you and Allen-san was intense. You two were really giving it your all."

"We had to. We promised each other we would play without holding anything back," Ryuto replied.

The silence between them resumed. It was obvious to Satsuki that Ryuto was not interested in talking about the game. She doubted it was the result that left a sour taste in his mouth, because when the game was over, he was smiling happily. Then again, despite everything, both teams smiled happily. No doubt happy to have given it their all and it ending in a, somewhat, satisfying result.

"If you want to talk about it, I'm here you know."

Ryuto met her gaze and smiled. "There's not much to talk about. I'm happy with the final result and I assume they are as well."

"Then why the long face?"

Ryuto's smile faded and looked down towards his finished plate of food. "I just hope I can see them again in order to clear somethings up."

—-

Ryuto walked through the gates of his school, the cherry blossoms in bloom and ready for spring. He looked up towards them, a fond memory coming back to him. He remembered the first day he walked into Seirin, the start of his life in Japan and the end of his in Central City. He took in a deep breath and released it. After all, the year was not over and he had an exam to take. He weaved through the people trying to get to their classrooms. However, that did not stop people from telling how amazing the game was. He expected people to only talk about the game for a day, but to his surprise everyone was still talking about it. He also had to remember that he no longer had his low presence and that he could not disappear from people's sights.

He made it to his classroom, to see Kuroko sitting in his usual seat looking through his notebook. He envied Kuroko to a certain extent, being able to stay invisible while he was the center of attention; something he never liked to be.

"That's what happens when you're part of the final play," Kuroko said, as if reading his thoughts. He did not even lift his gaze from his notebook.

Ryuto let out a sigh and pulled out his seat. He placed his bag next to his desk and sat down.

"Yeah, well you had a part to play as well."

"Except, mine wasn't as cool."

Ryuto blinked in surprise. Not expecting Kuroko's words. "You thought my place was cool?"

"Definitely."

"I can't tell if you're being sarcastic or not," Ryuto said with a disheartened tone.

The sound of the bell rang out through the school signaling the start of the day. Kuroko put away his notebook and faced forwards, while Ryuto did the same. The sound of seats being pulled out and people sitting on them could be heard all around the classroom. When everyone settled down, the teacher walked into the room holding a stack of papers.

"Let's get started, shall we."

—-

Barry groaned as sunlight peeking through the curtains landed on his eyes. He wanted to sleep for longer, but the sunlight stirred him from his sleep. He sat up in his bed and looked around the hotel room. The bathroom light was on and the sound of water running came from it, but both Jay and Cisco were not in the room. Barry let out a yawn and lazily pushed away the sheet. He looked towards his phone, no messages or anything. He sighed and set down his phone. He walked towards the bathroom and knocked on the door.

"Yeah?" Barry recognized it as Cisco's voice.

"Can I come in?"

"Give me a sec. I'm about to get out of the shower."

Barry sighed and returned to his bed. He peered out of the room's window and towards the city. The hotel did not have the best view, but he could still see Tokyo Tower in the distance. He turned away from the window and went through his backpack, trying to keep his mind off from Monday. However, it was all he could think about.

"Didn't expect to see you up this early," Cisco said as he walked out of the bathroom.

Barry looked up, hoping his friend did not walk out of the bathroom naked, and saw him wearing shorts and no shirt.

"The sunlight woke me up. Where's Jay?"

"Don't know. He said he was going out. Maybe he just wanted to look around town. We do leave tomorrow," Cisco replied.

 _Right, tomorrow._ Barry could not believe that their time in Japan was about to come to an end. It felt like they had just arrived and Ryuto and Kagami had just left them from the airport.

"You slept almost the whole day yesterday. You feeling okay?"

"Still sore, but otherwise, not too bad," Barry answered.

"That's not what I meant." Cisco said.

Barry let out a sigh. The game. The final play. Played on loop in Barry's mind as he slept. Oddly enough, it did not feel like a nightmare. It felt more like a regular dream. However, it was not a dream. Their final play really did happen and it caused something to change within Barry. He could feel Ryuto's thoughts as the two battled. It made him happy to know that someone he looked up to considered him strong.

—

"Will not lose to you!"

Ryuto forced his way past Barry's hand and slammed the ball into the basket just as the buzzer sounded. As the two boys landed, the court was silent, the crowd was silent. Everyone was waiting for the referee to say if the pointed counted. The referee then blew his whistle and held up two fingers, followed by a game ending whistle. Seirin had won.

The Seirin team exploded in cheered just as the crowd did as well. Everyone, even those on the bench crowded around Ryuto, congratulating him on the game winning point.

Meanwhile, CCHS hung their heads in defeat, each on of them overcome with sadness. Even those on the bench could feel the sting of defeat that the players on the court felt.

"We actually lost," Rene said in disbelief.

"We did. We played hard, but Seirin played harder," Coach Wells replied.

In his mind, Ryuto walked out from the door he had just opened, accepting that he had truly reached his limit. The door then slammed shut and silhouettes of his friends disappeared. He put a hand on the door the he would no longer be able to open and smiled.

Back on the court, Ryuto's smile was reflected by his real self. Everyone around him noticed and smiled back at him.

"You were awesome out there!" Koga said with excitement.

"I still can't believe we actually won!" Furihata added.

"You guys did, so congratulations."

The Seirin team looked to the side to see Barry, along with the other four CCHS players. He had a sad smile on his face and his cheeks marked with fresh tears.

"We thought we could win, but you guys showed us how strong all of you are together. Thanks for that," Barry added.

"Just wait until next time! I'll score so many threes," Oliver began to say, but his final words became in comprehensible. He then put his arm over his eyes, no doubt to his emotion. Diggle walked over to the blonde and placed a hand on his shoulder and looked towards Seirin.

"Next time we play, we'll win for sure."

"I can agree to that, Dig," Kagami said.

The referee blew his whistle again and had both teams five players to line up for one final bow.

"Thanks for the game," the players said in unison.

Before they could walk away from the court, Coach Wells walked up to both teams and behind them a podium was being brought onto the court.

"Just wait a few moments."

Both teams gathered behind Coach Wells as he stood behind the podium ready to address everyone present. Next to him stood a translator.

"I would like to thank everyone who came to this game. Our final exhibition match here in Japan against Seirin will be one we will never forget. The same goes for the other teams we played against. I would've liked for all the teams to be present, but I understand that we came at a difficult time for the players, as their final exams are fast approaching. Despite that, I would like to thank each school for the opportunity to play against them and learn from them. We hope that today sparks something between all of us and that that connection lasts for a long time. Thank you all for coming tonight and to everyone who came for all the games. I am Harrison Wells and this is Central City High School basketball team."

As the interpreter finished Coach Wells's speech, the players for CCHS walked in front of the podium and bowed to everyone present and thanked them for their support. Finally, they turned towards Seirin and bowed to them as well, thanking them for the intense game. Seirin followed their example and bowed, thanking them for the challenge.

"Come on now, group photo," Coach Wells said as he pointed to all the press cameras.

Everyone seemed to mentally shrug as they all got into position for a photo. When they were all situated, the camera lights began to flash as all the press cameras flashed at different intervals. When the last camera flashed, everyone began to laugh and say their goodbyes. Then both teams exited the court.

In the stands, Clark and Alex watched as both teams exited the court and made comments about the intensity of the final play. For Clark, it was as if something inside him sparked and Alex could see the fire in his eyes.

"Excuse me," a voice said, followed by a cough.

The two turned to see a young man, maybe a year older than Clark walk up to them, hands in his pockets.. He wore expensive clothes all in black. He had neatly brushed dark brown hair and dark colored eyes. He defiantly did not look Japanese either. Both of them seemed to recognize the young man, but could not place it.

"I don't mean to interrupt, but I could not help but overhear your conversation and something caught my attention," the young man said.

He turned towards Clark and seemed to study him with his gaze. Clark took a step back, a bit intimidated by the person.

"You see, the thing is, I'm searching for the best players to make a team to play on the world stage. Some of those players today definitely fit what I'm looking for, but you do as well."

"Come again?" Clark asked as he raised an eyebrow.

"I can see it in your eyes. You want to be on that court again," the young man said.

The young man took a hand out of his pocket and stretched it forwards. He held out what looked like a business card. Clark hesitantly took it found a fancy looking 'W' on it. Clark's eyes widened, realizing who he was talking to. Alex seemed to notice as well, as she let out a surprised gasp. The two looked up to see the young man had disappeared.

"Well, that was weird," Alex said.

Clark nodded as he returned to looking at the card. He turned it over to only see a phone number. Clark laughed to himself as he put the card in his pocket.

"Are you going to call?" Alex asked.

"Don't know. I might," Clark said with a smile.

—-

At the same time, the members of the Generation of Miracles were all making their way towards the exits.

Aomine walked his the rest of the Tōō team. They all spoke about how intense the game had been and all the matches had been close games.

"But of course, Seirin comes out on top," Imayoshi said.

"Only them and Kaijo managed to beat them. Shutoku tied. Rakuzan, Yosen, and us lost," Wakamatsu summarized.

"It all comes down to which team had better chemistry," Aomine mumbled. "Plus, Seirin is known for making miracles happen."

"You're not wrong about that Dai-chan," Satsuki said.

"Oi, what have I said about calling me that in public."

The Shutolu team walked towards the train station together. All of them discussing similar topics. Midorima was one of the few who was thinking about Ryuto entering the second state.

"Just how much stronger will he get. The second state, just like Kagami," Midorima muttered.

"Oi, Shin-chan, what're you saying?" Takao asked.

"Nothing you need to worry about. Just how Seirin is going to be a tough opponent next year," Midorima answered pushing up his glasses.

"I thought that was obvious," Takao responded with a laugh.

Seijūrō walked by himself to the nearest train station. In his mind replayed all of the important moments of the game, but what stood out to him the most was the final clash of Ryuto and Barry. Ryuto had managed to unlock the second state, but Barry had managed to keep up with him and he was still in the Zone's base stage. Seijūrō took in a breath and looked up towards the sky. The people from the States were a lot stronger today than they had been.

 _Looks like people can improve, even in short spans of time._

Seijūrō smiled to himself and continued his walk towards the train station. He content that he and his team had faced such strong opponents.

—

Back at the hotel, Barry sat on his bead, checking on his laptop what school things he missed while in Japan. Luckily it was not a lot, but he had to make up a few assignments. He opened another tap to check something else, when he heard his phone buzz. He grabbed his phone from the night stand and checked it. He had a message from Coach Wells in the team group chat. He wanted everyone to convene at the hotel's lobby. Barry closed his laptop, put his phone and wallet in his pockets, and exited the room. He wondered what Coach Wells had planned.

When he made his way to the lobby, almost everyone was there already. The only people missing were Snart and Mick. After a few more minutes of waiting, Snart and Mick exited the elevator. Mick let out a yawn, making it obvious he had just woken up.

"Great. Now that everyone is here, follow me," Coach Wells said.

Everyone looked at each other, unsure of what their coach had planned. Coach Stein seemed to have an idea, but would not say. They walked down the block to a bus stop, where Coach Wells told everyone to get on and he would tell them at what stop to get off at. The bus ride took about ten minutes, and when they arrived they were in a more suburban area of Tokyo, but the city was still in view.

"Um, Coach. Where are we going?" Cisco asked the question everyone was thinking.

"A place I used to frequent a lot when I would come to Japan," Coach Wells said with a smile.

"Do you know about this place, Coach Stein?" Ronnie asked.

"Indeed I do. You all will find out soon," Coach Stein replied.

From the bus stop they walked for another five minutes, until Coach Wells told them to stop. He pointed at the building to his right and everyone looked towards it. The place was a restaurant. The word _Natsu_ was written on the door. Snart translated by saying the word meant summer.

Coach Wells entered the restaurant and everyone followed his lead. To their surprise, the place was empty. Then again, it was only 12:30. Coach Wells spoke to a waiter in almost perfect Japanese, telling them a table for fifteen.

"My, is that you Harrison?" a male voice in a heavy accented English said.

Everyone looked towards the kitchen door and saw an older man, likely in his fifties, standing in front of it.

"Eij, how long has it been?" Coach Wells replied.

The two men shook hands and Eiji turned his gaze towards the group.

"This must be your team, right?" Eiji asked.

Coach Wells nodded.

"Um, right, we're the Central City High School team. Pleasure to meet you, sir," Barry said with a bow, which the others followed.

"Your table is ready," the waiter said in Japanese.

"Thank you," Coach Wells replied, "You guys go on ahead. I need to speak with Eiji for a moment."

"Come along everyone," Coach Stein said, wrangling everyone up.

As the group walked away, Well remained talked with Eiji. They brought each other up to speed on their respective lives before changing the topic.

"You know, this place was full of Americans when you guys were playing," Eiji said.

Wells laughed in response. "I'd imagine. We used come here all the time. That's how you learned English."

"Those boys of yours put on quite the show. Everyone in here was loud and rowdy," Eiji said.

"I'm sorry if that bothered the neighborhood."

Eiji waved his hand in dismissal. "Don't worry about it."

Wells laughed again.

"Still though, I'm not blind. That last game hit them hard. I suppose you brought them here to cheer them up, like you used to do."

Wells nodded in response.

"Well, I'll get started on cooking. Food'll be on the table in a few minutes."

"Thanks, Eiji. I owe you again," Well responded.

"Think nothing of it. Least I could do for an old friend," Eiji said before returning to the kitchen.

When Wells reached the table, he found that everyone was silent. No one spoke to each other, they just sat in silence. Wells sighed and clapped his hands to get everyone's attention. With everyone's gazes on him, he moved to only empty seat at their table.

"Well, I'm sure all of you want to know the reason for me bringing you all here."

Everyone nodded in response.

"That's simple. We didn't have a team meeting Monday nigh or Tuesday, so we're having it here. However, we won't be talking about the game."

Wells could see the look of confusion everyone had. He expected it, as they had never done anything like this.

"As you eat, I want all of you to reflect on your performances during that matches you played. All of you got a chance to play, so focus on that. When you're ready, share how you think you should improve, and how the team should improve. The two losses we had and the tie were nobodies fault. However, even reflect on the victories. As even victory can prove to be a valuable asset in determining where one can improve."

As Coach Wells finished his speech, he sat down on the far end of the table. He let his words sink in to his players and it was obvious to him they had listened to him carefully. Coach Wells smiled. He was happy he was able to coach such a good group of boys and watch them improve since middle school.

Soon after, the food began to arrive and everyone grabbed their own portions in silence. They were all still processing the coach's words. As they began to eat, one by one each player spoke about how they learned and how they could improve. Coach Wells took in all the information and made sure to commit it to memory. He knew that next year would be an interesting season, as the team began to make changes simply by speaking.

—-

The final bell sounded throughout the the school, followed by the groans of students as the last exam came to an end. Ryuto was one of those groaning students. He was still tired from Monday, while also staying up late in order to study.

 _At least I'm done for the day._

"How do you think you did?" Kuroko asked behind him.

Ryuto shrugged. "I think I barely passed."

"Did you study?"

"Yes, but not as much as I should have."

"You'll probably score better than Kagami-kun though."

"Everyone can score better than Taiga."

The two teens laughed at the comment, while in another classroom Kagami sneezed while cursing Ryuto's name.

"Come on, we have practice," Ryuto said standing up from his seat.

"Aren't the second-years going to be late? They said they were going to see off Kiyoshi-senpai," Kuroko replied following his friend out the door.

"Right, Kiyoshi," Ryuto mused as he clasped his hands behind his head.

Kiyoshi had not been able to attend their match against CCHS because he was stuck in the hospital. Alex had managed to use her connection to treat his injured leg in the States, so he was stuck doing all the transfer paperwork. It was going to be weird without Kiyoshi, as his optimism was usually what kept the team together; even if his stubbornness would conflict with his physical health.

"That also means that Alex-san is probably going to go back to America," Kuroko added.

"Probably. Where was he going again?" Ryuto asked.

"Los Angeles."

"Right. Taiga used to vacation there a lot. It was practically a second home for him."

The boys continued to walk towards the gym, but stopped first in the locker room to get changed. As Ryuto placed his school bag in a locker, he noticed an envelope sticking out from a pocket. A lightbulb went off in his head as he remembered what it was. He grabbed the envelope and knocked on Kuroko's locker door.

"Yes?"

"Satsuki said to give this to you," Ryuto said handing him the envelope. "She didn't tell what was in it, but she said she was sorry for giving to you so late."

Kuroko smiled and shifted his gaze towards the envelope. "Then I know exactly what it is."

Ryuto smiled as well and turned back to his locker. As he was about to close the door, he saw his phone light up as the message icon blinked. Ryuto rose an eyebrow and grabbed his phone. He opened the messaging app and saw that a number he did not recognize had texted him.

 _Who could this be?_

He tapped on the message and read it. When he reached the end, his eyes widened and he let out a surprised gasp.

"Is something wrong?" Kuroko asked, concern rising in his voice.

"No, nothing. Can you cover for me at practice today? There's something I have to do," Ryuto said as he closed the locker door.

"Sure, but did something happen?" Concern still laced in Kuroko's words.

"Nothing you need to worry about. Just going to meet up with an old friend," Ryuto said with a smile.

Kuroko nodded in response, with the concern wiped away.

"Thanks, man." Ryuto said as he darted out from the locker room.

Ryuto ran across the school grounds towards the main gate. He had not expected that person to contact him. He had thought that they had already left. When he made it closer to the main gate, he slowed down his pace to a walk. As he exited the school, he looked to his side to see Clark resting against the wall. He turned towards the Japanese teen and smiled.

"Hey, Clark. What brings you by my school?"

"I wanted to talk to you before I left," Clark responded.

Ryuto glanced down and saw the Clark was holding a basketball. Ryuto raised his eyebrow curiously, wondering why he had a ball with him. Clark noticed his gaze and also turned towards the ball.

"Well actually," Clark said as he turned his gaze back to Ryuto, "I want to play against you in a one-on-one."

 **AN: The winner has been revealed! Who were you expecting to win the match? If I'm being honest, I pondered so many things for this. There was Seirin's victory, CCHS's victory, a tie, or not showing the final result at all and leaving it up to your guys to form your own opinions. However, I decided to explicitly state who was the victor and Seirin came out on top. This chapter serves as a wrap up to the games and an intro to the ending. Only two chapters left until this story comes to an end. I hope you enjoyed this chapter and stay tuned for the next one. If you're enjoying the story, follow, favorite, and/or review. Until next time!**


	24. Chapter 22

Chapter 22

One Final Game

"Thank you for the food!"

The CCHS team bowed in thanks to Eiji, who let out a laugh.

"You're quite welcome, young ones. I'm just glad you enjoyed the food."

"It was good," Mick said, accented by a burp.

"Dude, that's gross, and disrespectful!" Curtis said.

Eiji laughed again, causing the others to look towards him in confusion.

"A belch like that means the food was really that good."

Everyone let out a relieved sigh that Eiji had not taken offense to Mick's rude action. After saying one last goodbye to Eiji, the CCHS team exited the restaurant. As they walked towards the bus station, the group spoke about how it was their last night in Tokyo and they wanted to go out and do something.

Barry, meanwhile, remained quiet. He took out his phone to check the time. He wanted to see Ryuto one last time. He wanted to see if he could clear things up with him. Maybe if he rushed to Seirin he could catch him leaving school. He tightened the grip of his phone and he broke into a jog.

The others noticed Barry go off ahead and called out to him.

"There's something I need to take care of! I'll meet you guys back at the hotel!"

Before anyone could protest, but Barry was already too far ahead.

—

 _A streetball court, huh._

Clark led Ryuto to a park that was near his school. The two walked onto the basketball court that was at the park. Clark walked over to the bench on the sideline, set down his bag, and took off his jacket.

"First to twenty, regular rules. Does that work for you?"

Ryuto nodded in response. Clark passed the ball to Ryuto with a bounce pass. Ryuto caught the ball and looked towards Clark with a confused look.

"You'll start with the ball."

"You sure about that?" Ryuto asked.

Clark chuckled. "Don't underestimate me. Though, I shouldn't take you too lightly either."

"Alright then. Let's get this started."

Clark positioned himself in front of Ryuto in a defensive stance. Ryuto, meanwhile, began to dribble at a slow pace and got into an offensive stance. Clark watched his opponent closely, waiting for him to make a move. A single crossover, and Ryuto was already at the basket. Clark turned his head to see the grey-haired teen scoring a lay up.

When Ryuto landed on the court, he turned to Clark who had a smile on his face.

"I haven't been on the receiving end of that in a while," Clark said.

"There's a lot more you haven't seen."

Clark chuckled and placed a hand on his hip. "Can't wait."

Ryuto picked up the ball off the ground, and passed it to Clark.

"You're turn to show me what you've got."

Clark nodded and got into an offensive stance. Ryuto shifted into a defensive stance and got ready for Clark's attack.

Clark dribbled the ball in his right hand. He sized up Ryuto's defense, trying to find a gap. Even in a one-on-one, a good defense was necessary. Clark stopped his dribble and set up for a shot. Ryuto reacted quickly and jumped to block it. However, Clark's feet never left the ground. As Ryuto began to fall back to the ground, Clark jumped and released his shot. The ball bounced off the backboard and into the hoop.

"I still got it," Clark said with a sly smile.

"Can you keep up though?"

As the two continued to play, Ryuto began to notice something about Clark. All of Clark's moves were practiced. He moved with polished fundamentals. Not a movement was wasted on offense. On defense, however, it was obvious that Clark had not practiced that as much. Ryuto always managed to find a gap and attack it. From what he remembered from middle school, Clark was one of their best defenders.

However, the smile that Clark played with was something he had not seen in such a long time. Ryuto could not help but smile as well. Playing against his old middle school captain was something he never imagined could happen again.

As the sun began to set, the two boys continued to play. Neither of them were keeping score. However, that did not matter. What mattered was that their play spoke volumes of the kind of players that they were and what had shaped them in years they were apart.

Clark was on the offensive once again, and dribbled the ball at the three point line. Ryuto stood, ready to defend his attack. Clark crossed over to his left and drove towards the basket. Ryuto moved to defend him, but Clark stopped his advance and pivoted on his right foot to get around Ryuto.

His eyes widened as he saw Clark do his move. It had been a long time since he had seen it. Ryuto did not jump to block the shot, he simply watched the older teen jump for his release. Clark released the shot with as much fluidity as he had in middle school. The ball went through the net with a satisfying swish sound that Ryuto had long forgotten. When Clark landed, he let out a breath and ran a hand through his hair. He then placed a hand on his hip and turned to Ryuto.

"With your speed, you could've blocked that."

Ryuto blinked rapidly and stood up straight. He let out an embarrassed laugh and placed a hand behind his head.

"Sorry. I haven't seen that move since middle school. It brought back a lot of memories."

Clark laughed, not expecting that response.

Ryuto jogged to the ball and picked it up. He stared at it for a moment, letting the wave of nostalgia wash away. However, his smile remained.

"You know, for someone who hasn't play since middle school, your movements are pretty solid."

Clark raised an eyebrow, unsure of what Ryuto meant.

"What I'm saying is, you've been practicing."

"Oh. Yeah, I have been. Mostly just by myself. Never committed to the basketball team," Clark replied.

"I could tell. You defense was lacking compared to the old you."

"You're comparing the current me to the me from eighth grade? You do realize I'm going to college in a couple months."

Ryuto waved a hand in dismissal. "Forget it. I'm just pointing something out."

Clark let out a sigh and walked to the bench where he had left his stuff. He sat down and looked up to the orange sky. It was obvious to Ryuto that he wanted to tell him something, but he could not come up with the words.

"A one-on-one isn't the only reason I brought you here," Clark said still facing the sky.

Ryuto rose an eyebrow and crossed his arms across his chest.

"I wanted to talk to you about something. It's about basketball."

Ryuto's expression softened and he let his arms fall to his sides. He walked to the bench and sat down next to Clark. Meanwhile, Clark was still facing the sky. It was as if he was trying to find some type of muse from the orange color.

"Watching you guys play lit something within me. I watched you guys play your hearts out and give it your all, even to the last second. It made me feel like I wanted to be on the court to play with you guys."

Ryuto looked towards his friend with a surprised expression. He had not expected for him to say that. However, deep down, Ryuto wanted for his old captain to take the court again. He wanted to play against him in a match. Have his teammates backing him up, with Clark's team backing him up.

"I thought I lost my passion for basketball. I'd practice by myself, but I got no satisfaction from it. I wanted to play a game were even the final second could decide the game. Watching you guys…"

Clark's voice trailed off, stopping mid thought. Ryuto stared at Clark, watching as his gaze shifted from the sky to ground. He stared at the ground in silence. Ryuto had no idea what he was going to say next. Clark then turned to the Japanese teen with large smile on his face.

"Watching you guys play made me realize that I really love basketball."

As Clark finished his sentence, the wind picked up. Both teens hair swayed with the wind, but neither did anything to control it. The sound of leaves being shifted by the wind filled the empty park, as Clark smiled happily to his friend. Ryuto smiled in response, and the two began to laugh.

As the wind died down, the two teen heard the rattling of the metal fence. They turned towards the sound and saw Barry holding on to it. He was red with embarrassment at the sight of being found. The two teens laughed again and called Barry over.

—-

Barry continued his jog towards Seirin at a fast pace. However, he did not anticipate the distance between the restaurant and the school. During the jog, he would glance at his phone's map to make sure he was still going in the right direction. About half way through his journey, the sun was starting to set. The sky changed from blue to a pale yellow before changing to orange.

 _I got to hurry up. I don't want to miss him._

As he got closer to the school, a certain sound caught his attention. He slowed down his pace in order to hear better. His pace turned to a walk as he panted to catch his breath, but he still tried to find the source of the sound.

As the sound got louder, he stopped walking and turned towards where it was coming from. The sound came from two teens playing on street court, and one was dribbling the ball. Barry stared at them form across the street to watch them play. However, a certain move caught his attention.

 _Could that be Ryuto?_

Barry made sure no cars were coming before crossing the street by looking both ways. As he got closer to the fence encased court, he was able to see who was playing. He saw a familiar head of grey hair playing defense against a black haired teen. It took Barry a moment, but he was able to recognize Ryuto's opponent; it was Clark.

Barry watched the two teens play and was mesmerized at how fluid Clark's movements were. He had never seen Clark play before, he had only heard the stories. By seeing him play, he understood why everyone respected him so much. However, his defensive skills were a bit lack luster.

After Clark scored form a smooth pivot, the boys game came to a standstill. Not wanting to make his presence known, Barry remained silent. The two boys moved to bench and began to talk. As the wind picked up, it was difficult to hear their conversation. A larger gust of wind made it almost impossible. When the wind died down, Barry leaned forwards causing the fence to rattle and alerting the two teens of his presence. Barry felt his face warm up with embarrassment as he heard the two laugh, but he complied when he was called over.

"I swear I wasn't eavesdropping," Barry said as he walked towards the two.

Clark gave a dismissive wave. "Don't worry about it."

He then stood up and grabbed his jacket and bag.

"I was about to leave anyways."

He turned to Ryuto.

"It was fun playing against you again. It helped me figure things out."

Ryuto nodded in response. "You know, I still haven't beaten you in a one-on-one. Shall we chalk this up to another loss for me?"

Clark laughed at the question, while Barry was left dumbfounded. Ryuto had never beaten Clark in a one-on-one? That sounded strange to him.

"I think I will. Take care, Ryuto," Clark said before turning to Barry. "You as well."

Barry nodded nervously in response. "I will."

The two younger teens watched as their upperclassmen walked away. He glanced back towards them, which was responded to with a wave. Clark gave a satisfied smile and disappeared in his walk towards the train station.

Barry turned to Ryuto was standing and stretching his arms in the air.

"Man, this will not help my soreness."

"Huh?"

"So, did you come here to challenge to a one-on-one as well? Though, your clothes aren't really suited for it."

Barry looked down to his clothes and let out a groan. Meanwhile, Ryuto's chuckles turned into laughter. His laughter caught onto Barry and he could not help but smile.

"Actually though," Ryuto's voice quickly shifted to seriousness, "I'm glad you're here. I wanted to clear some things up."

Ryutoo turned back to the bench and sat down with legs stretched out.

Barry opened his mouth to say something, but Ryuto put a hand up to stop him. Ryuto let out a breath and turned to Barry, seriousness in his gaze.

"I want to apologize for the things I said the day before the match. While I do still stand by it, I could've said it a bit better."

The pause in Ryuto's words allowed for Barry to sit next to his friend. Ryuto seemed to be waiting for him to sit down and continued to talk. He turned up to face the sky, seemingly to avoid eye contact with Barry.

"The truth is, we both needed to hear that so we could play our best and not hold anything back."

"Both?"

"I was so happy to see you guys again that I forgot that we'd be playing against each other. For that reason, I wanted to affirm that when we touched that court we'd be opponents. But something you said reminded me of words I said to Taiga."

Barry listed with close attention, curious as to what he would say next. Before he said anything, Ryuto locked eyes with Barry.

"We can be friends and rivals. On Monday we faced each other as only rivals, but the next time we play will be as both." Ryuto finished his words with a friendly smile.

Barry's expression shifted to a form of happy surprise. His expression remained as he watched Ryuto stand up from the bench and stretched his arms into the air.

"Come on. There's something I want to show you."

Barry nodded and stood up, and began to follow Ryuto. The walked a short distance before making it to Seirin's gates. As the two neared it, he saw a few students leaving the school. He assumed that some stayed after school to either study or their club activities. The two boys entered the school, but Ryuto quickly turned to his right and stopped in front of a tree. Barry stood next to him and looked up.

The tree was a cherry blossom three that was in full bloom. Barry had never seen such a beautiful tree before. Central City had a few cherry blossom trees as well, but they did not compare to the one he was staring at. He turned to Ryuto who had a happy smile on his face.

"You know what cherry blossom's mean in Japan?" Ryuto asked.

"Spring?" Barry replied and added a shrug.

Ryuto chuckled. "Well yes, but they have another meaning: endings and beginnings."

"I don't understand."

"It's as simple as it sounds. When a cherry blossom is in bloom and its petals begin to fall, it signifies the end of one thing and the start of another."

Ryuto turned towards Barry. He could see the happiness in his eyes and expression. Barry knew the answer to the question he wanted to ask just by looking at him.

"So begins a new chapter of my life, while the previous one came to an end. And there was no better way for it to end," Ryuto said.

Barry smiled and nodded. "I guess that means you aren't gonna come back."

Ryuto nodded a no. "I'm going to finish high school in Japan and from there, who knows."

"I see. I understand. I'm glad you're happy," Barry said with a strained smile.

"Hey," Ryuto said as he placed a hand on Barry's shoulder, "that doesn't mean that I don't miss you guys. Trust me, I do everyday."

Barry's smile became less strained as Ryuto retracted his hand. Then the wind picked up and more cherry blossoms began to fall. Both teens look up to have several blossoms fall onto their face. The two boys could not help but laugh at situation.

As the winded died down, Ryuto kneeled down and pickup two blossoms off the ground. He stood up and examined them for a moment before turning to Barry.

"Can I ask you for a favor?"

Barry nodded a yes. "Sure. What do you need?"

Ryuto held out one of the cherry blossoms for Barry to grab.

"Give it to Caitlin for me."

"Huh?!" Barry's eyes shot open. "But what about Riko? What would she think?"

Ryuto let out a laugh. "Thanks for being concerned with my relationship, but she already knows."

"Wait, what?" Barry asked in confusion.

"I told her I was going to have you deliver that to Caitlin. It's better to tell than have her find out later."

"I guess that makes sense," Barry replied as his gaze fell onto the second blossom in his hand. "What about the second one?"

"I want you to give this one to Cade. From you of course," Ryuto answered with a sly smile forming.

Barry blushed hard at the thought and turned away from Ryuto. "What for?"

"Please, you make it way too obvious. Plus, use it to patch things up. You do realize I still talk to her right?"

Barry let out a defeated sigh, but his blush had yet to fade. "Thanks for looking out for me."

"You two are the ones holding each other back," Ryuto said, the smile still on his face.

"Ryuto-kun!"

The two teens looked up to see Riko walking towards them. Ryuto's smiled shifted from a sly one to a more happy one. Ryuto waved to her as she quickened her pace to join them. When she was closer, Riko wrapped Ryuto in a hug, which he returned. When the two separated, Ryuto kept one arm across her shoulders.

"Nice to see you before you leave, Allen-san," Riko said as she bowed her head.

"Likewise," Barry replied as he copied what she did.

"I see you gave him the blossom."

Ryuto nodded. "Just as I said I would."

"I should probably be heading back to the hotel. I kinda bolted without saying much to anyone," Barry said as he began to take some steps backwards.

"Sure man. I'll be there tomorrow to see you off," Ryuto said.

"But your exams?"

Ryuto gave him a dismissive wave. "It's my English exam. I practically have a perfect score in that class. My teacher already knows my plans anyways, so he let me take it when I get back. Kuroko and Taiga might come too, depending if they can convince their teachers."

Barry nodded in response. "Right. See you tomorrow then."

Barry then turned and jogged out of the school.

"You played a one-on-one didn't you," Riko said with a serious tone.

Ryuto stiffed at the sound of her voice and could feel the cold sweat fall from his neck. The last thing he wanted to do was get Riko angry regarding his physical health.

—-

"I can't believe both of your excuses were the same one. I'm sure the school won't buy a coincidence," Ryuto said as he, Kuroko, and Kagami got off the bus.

"I had no idea Kuroko was going to use that excuse," Kagami defended himself.

"Plus I don't anyone's going to notice I'm missing even if I did call ahead," Kuroko added, his voice monotone.

Ryuto turned to Kuroko and frowned. "I can't tell if I'm supposed to feel depressed by that."

The three teens arrived to the airport in casual clothes, to make sure that they did not look like they were skipping school. They walked from the bus stop to the terminal where they were supposed to meet up with CCHS. Ryuto took another look at his phone and confirmed that they were in the right place before putting it in his pocket. The three teens glanced around trying to find a large group of foreigners, but could not seem to find them.

"It shouldn't be this hard," Kagami said.

Ryuto nodded in response and continued to search. His eyes darted around the area, trying to catch even the faintest glimpse of them. As his eyes reached the bathrooms on their right, he felt someone tap his shoulder. He looked to the side to see Kuroko was pointing to their left.

"Isn't that them?"

Ryuto followed Kuroko's finger and saw that he was pointing to a large group of foreigners. Upon closer inspection, Ryuto confirmed that they were CCHS and began to jog towards them.

"Hey! You guys!"

All of the heads of the CCHS players turned towards the voice that called out. Some began to smile and wave at the sight of the three Seirin players that got closer to them. As they got closer, Ryuto lunged at Barry and squeezed him in a tight hug. He then separated from him and took a few steps back.

"Looks like we made it just in time," Kagami said with a laugh.

"Actually, we just got here. We're about to check our bags," Ronnie explained.

"Oh, that's good then," Ryuto said.

"But why are you guys here? Don't you have exams?" Jay asked.

"We managed to get out of taking them, but don't tell anyone," Ryuto answered.

"Plus we wanted to see you off," Kuroko added.

The sound of his voice caused a few to jump in surprise. Even with playing against him, they were still not very aware of his presence.

"Man, you're going to give me a heart attack by just appearing, Tetsuya," Cisco said, catching his breath.

"But I've been standing here the whole time," Kuroko said with a straight face.

"I can't tell if he's joking," Cisco mumbled.

The group laughed again. The laughter helped alleviate the mood. Before anyone could say anything, Oliver walked in front of everyone.

"Hey, I know you know that Shintaro guy. Give him a message for me. The next time I see him, I'll be the one blocking his threes," Oliver said.

Ryuto took a second to process his words. He had spoken to him so suddenly that he had not processed that the blonde was talking to him.

"Sure. I'll be sure to tell him," Ryuto replied adding a nod.

"Since Oliver started, I'll join in," Snart said taking a step forwards. "Tell Daiki that next time I won't be stopped so easily." Snart then turned his gaze towards Kuroko. "I will shut you done completely next time, Tetsuya."

Kuroko's expression hardened a bit, but he still smiled and nodded. "I look forward to the next time we play."

"I'll join in too," Ronnie said, stepping forwards with his crutches. "Tell Ryota that I'll beat him next time, whenever next time is."

Ryuto nodded. "Sure, I will."

"Tell Seijūrō that I won't let him ankle break me so easily next time," Cisco added, crossing his arms.

"As for me," Barry began to say. All eyes turned to him, curious as to who he would want to face again. "Tell all of them, that if the Generation of Miracles ever want a challenge, we're more than happy to accept."

The players of CCHS took in Barry's words and all smiled confidently. The three Japanese teens were taken aback by how casually Barry challenged the Generation of Miracles. However, they nodded in response, knowing they would be up for the challenge.

"We'll pass it on. Right guys?"

Kuroko and Kagami nodded in response.

"Though if you challenge Seirin again, we still won't lose," Ryuto said.

"Come on, we have to get moving!" Coach Stein's voice called out.

"That's our cue," Barry said.

Ryuto nodded and held up a closed fist. Then Kuroko and Kagami raised theirs up as well. Barry chuckled and raised his closed fist to meet Ryuto's. Soon after, the rest of CCHS did the same and they created a giant fist bump. Each of them acknowledged the other and understood that they were all now rivals.

 **AN: With that, this chapter comes to an end. This one was another fun one to write. Especially the one-on-one between Clark and Ryuto. I kinda wish a I was a more experienced writer to make that scene pop more, but with that I did write I'm happy how it turned out. With this chapter, CCHS's time in Japan has come to an end. Did their games turn out as you expected, or did some surprise you? Did you enjoy the non-game chapters? Let me know, I'm genuinely curious. However, this story is not yet over. There remains one more chapter. I do hope you look forwards to the ending. I hope you enjoyed this chapter and stay tuned for the next one. The next update might take some time 'cause I want to update some of my other stories. If you're enjoying this story, follow, favorite, and/or review if you haven't. Also follow me on Twitter so you can get story updates as well as other things. Until next time!**


	25. Chapter 23

Chapter 23

Voices From The Past

"Do you really have to leave now?" Riko complained.

Ryuto let out a sigh as he sifted through the clothes in his closet. It was probably the fourth time in the day that she had asked him that.

Five months had passed since the match between Seirin and CCHS, and Ryuto was now in his second year of high school. July's in Japan were pretty warm, but it was really humid. Something Ryuto did not appreciate.

Since then, Seirin had participated in the Inter-High tournament, but were knocked out in the quarterfinals; being eliminated by Rakuzan. However, compared to the match they had during the Winter Cup, the game had been played on much more amicable terms.

Ryuto was currently in his room packing for a trip to the U.S. He had been meaning to return home for the longest time, but his injury last summer and moving into his cousin's house made it difficult for him to visit. In his room was Riko, who was sprawled on his bed. Since the game against CCHS the two acted more like a couple than they ever had, which caught many by surprise.

"We need to start training for the Winter Cup. We have to defend that title after all," Riko said.

"Don't worry. While I'm in Central City I'll still be sticking to the usual training regimen," Ryuto said as he grabbed a shirt from his closet.

"I'd rather have you here though," Riko added.

"I know, but I've been planning this trip for a while. I asked if you wanted to come, but you turned me down," Ryuto said as he placed the shirt in his suitcase.

"I would've, but I've never been on a plane before," Riko mumbled as she sat up.

"And that's fine. I was terrified the first time I ever got on a plane."

Riko blushed at Ryuto's words and he could not help but smile. It was not common for Riko to get embarrassed or even blush, but she did a side to her that liked cute things; the side that Ryuto always found funny. He turned back towards his closet and began to rummage through his clothes again. He was trying to find a specific shirt that seemed to be eluding him. As he sifted through clothes, he continued to talk to Riko.

"You know, you've been coming by a lot more often. Can't get enough of me, right?"

Even if he could not see it, Ryuto was sure that Riko was blushing again.

"Well, it is summer vacation," Riko said.

He could hear his bed shift as she stood up from it and her footsteps as she got closer to him. She then wrapped her arms around his waist and rest the side of her head on his back. This time, Ryuto blushed. He moved one arm and gently placed it around hers

He was thankful that Satsuki was out of the house, because she would have ruined the moment.

He then turned around and kissed her forehead. Riko giggled at the gesture and moved her arms from around his waist and clasped them behind his neck. She then stood on the tips of her toes and kissed him. Ryuto returned the kiss and picked her up. He lightly spun around causing her to laugh. He stopped and gently put her back down, before kissing her one more time.

The two blushed heavily and laughed.

"I should finish packing," Ryuto said.

"You probably should," Riko replied as she turned away and tucked a lock of hair behind her ear.

—-

Ryuto released a shot from the free throw line and the ball went through the hoop smoothly. Under the basket, Kuroko caught the ball and passed it back to Ryuto, who set up for another free throw. From the corner of the court, Kagami released his shot which bounced off the back board and into the hoop. Kuroko did the same thing, caught the ball and passed it to the red head.

"So, you're heading to Central City tomorrow, right?" Kagami asked as he caught the pass.

Ryuto nodded and released another free throw. "I leave at six in the morning."

"That doesn't sound pleasant," Kuroko said as he passed the ball to Ryuto.

"You got that right," Ryuto replied.

"I'd come with," Kagami said as he walked to another spot on the court, "but I got somethings I need to take care of here."

"No problem, man. I'll tell the guys you said hi," Ryuto said with a dismissive wave.

"I wonder what it's like there," Kuroko said.

"Not much to see really. But it's home," Ryuto said as he released another shot. "Why don't you shoot a few Kuroko. I'll catch rebounds."

Kuroko and dribbled the ball to a spot on the court. Ryuto put his hands in his pockets and walked to the basket. They continued to shoot, while Kuroko asked questions about Central City and about other places in the U.S. in general. Ryuto could not answer too many questions, because he rarely left the city, but Kagami was but more adventurous and explained everything he knew about California and Los Angeles.

When the sun began to set, the three decided to head home. Ryuto asked them if they wanted to go to his house as it was close by, but the first-year duo declined the invitation.

"We'll see you when you get back," Kuroko said.

Ryuto smiled and nodded. "Of course. I'll be back just in time for school to resume."

"Ugh, school," Kagami groaned.

Kuroko and Ryuto laughed at Kagami's words. They both knew that Kagami's mind only had room for basketball.

"Is anything interesting going to happen here while I'm gone?" Ryuto asked.

"I think I heard rumblings about an American street ball team coming here," Kuroko said.

"I think Riko said something about that as well," Ryuto added.

"Do you know the name of the team?" Kagami asked as he released his shot.

"No, I don't. Maybe Momoi-san might know," Kuroko answered.

"She's not home yet I think," Ryuto replied.

They continued on the topic, wonder why and American street ball team would come to Japan, but they decided to not dwell on it longer. After a taking few more shots, the three friends then decided to part ways and Ryuto returned to his house. As he entered through the door, he saw that Satsuki had just arrived as well.

"Hey," he greeted with a wave. "You're back later than I was expecting."

"Didn't know you were in charge of me," Satsuki replied adding a playful smile.

Ryuto let out a low chuckle. "Never mind."

"How was your day? I hope you finished packing," Satsuki said.

Ryuto rose an eyebrow. "So you're in charge of me now?"

Satsuki rolled her eyes, but could not help but laugh at the response. "Just answer the question."

"Fine. Riko came by and you just missed Taiga and Kuroko,"

Satsuki's face reddened at Kuroko's name being mentioned. "Tetsu, was here?"

"Well not really. We were at the park for most of the afternoon," Ryuto said.

Her expression then morphed as she processed what Ryuto had initially said. Then a sly smile crept onto her face. A smile that made Ryuto a bit worried about what she would say next.

"So, Aida-san came by and you two would've been the only ones here," she said in a somewhat suggestive voice.

Ryuto blushed heavily and turned away from his cousin. "Nothing like what you're thinking of happened."

Satsuki then spun on her heel and began to walk away. "Am I thinking about that?"

"Satsuki, don't you dare started spreading your lies!"

—

"Group B may now board the aircraft."

Ryuto let out a yawn as he stood up. It was very early in the morning and the last thing he wanted was to not be in his bed sleeping. He checked his phone to see if his parents had sent him any messages, but nothing was on it. He typed up a short message to his mom and dad, telling them that he was about to board the plane. He typed up a second message in the Seirin's team group chat and another for only Riko. Then a final message to his aunt and uncle, but no doubt they were still sleeping. He put his phone into his pocket as he walked onto the airplane and quickly found his seat. He put his bag in one of the overhead bins and kept his backpack on him. He was not taking much, as a lot was still in Central City.

He sat down in his seat, which was situated next to the window. He opened the window cover and gazed out to a somewhat crowded airfield. He let out a breath and turned forwards, it would be a long flight.

As the plane took off, Ryuto turned on a movie, but found himself falling asleep not even thirty minutes into the film. He woke up to find that the movie had ended and there was still five hours left in the flight. He let out a sigh and scrolled through the movies again. When found another, he found himself falling asleep again until the plane was nearing Central City.

The sound of a ding woke up Ryuto. He opened the window cover to see Central City below them. He smiled at the sight of familiar buildings.

 _Home._

It took another twenty minutes for the plane to land and by then Ryuto was already getting restless. When the plane docked at the terminal, the flight attendant told everyone that they were free to begin grabbing their belongings. With those words everyone began to scuffle about reaching for their things and standing up. Ryuto decided to to wait a bit before getting his things. He took the time to message everyone that he had arrived, which was met with happy responses form his friends in Japan. Meanwhile, all his American friends were already making plans to meet up. Ryuto could not help but chuckle at how different his two groups of friends were.

After grabbing his bag from the overhead bin, Ryuto made his off the plane and into the airport. As he walked towards the exit, he called his mom who said she was already on her way to the airport. When the called finished, Ryuto put his phone in his pocket and picked up his pace towards the exit. Arriving at the exit, Ryuto leaned on a pillar and waited for his mom. He spent the time messaging all his friends.

Getting another call from his mom, Ryuto looked up to try and find her. He managed to find the blue car she was in and waved towards her. When the two saw each other, his mom pulled up next to him.

Rikai, Ryuto's mother, got off the car excitedly and hugged her son tightly.

"Hey, Mom. Glad to see you too, but you're crushing my ribs."

"Sorry," Rikai said as she let go, "but I'm so happy to see you!" Rikai hugged her son once again and let go after another tight squeeze. "Let's head home. Your father is making your favorite."

"Dad's making sukiyaki? Awesome!"

One things he defiantly missed form back home was his dad's cooking.

The two got into the car and began to drive towards his home.

"By the way, where are Shiro and Yuki?" Ryuto asked as he looked to the seats in the back.

"They wanted to stay home," Rikai answered.

"Why?" Ryuto asked as he rose an eyebrow.

"You'll see," Rikai said with a playful smile.

Ryuto shrugged in response and turned his attention to his phone.

Ryuto did not live in the main city of Central City. He was more towards the suburbs of the city, but he was still close enough that a drive into the city was not far. As they drove through the city, Ryuto looked at how much things had changed. Some building that he remembered had been remodeled and there were many new ones as well.

"Recognize anything?" Rikai asked.

Ryuto nodded. "It still feels like there's a lot of new. It's weird, I haven't been gone for that long, but a lot has changed."

"You should see the university. They added a lot of new buildings."

"I feel like stranger," Ryuto said with a laugh.

"Don't worry. Home hasn't changed much."

"Dad hasn't done his home improvement yet?"

"Only a few. Your room hasn't changed much since you left," Rikai said with a smile.

Ryuto cringed at those words. He was imagining the room of a thirteen year old and how different it would be compared to the person he was now, a seventeen year old.

As they entered the suburbs, Ryuto began to feel a sense of familiarity. When he saw the park he would go to a lot as a child he knew he was home. As his house came into view, he was surprised to see that his house seemed empty, as all the lights were off.

"Why are the lights off Mom? Are Dad, Yuki, and Shiro not home?" Ryuto asked.

"Don't worry. Let's get inside," Rikai said as she pulled into the drive way.

Ryuto shrugged again. Since his mom was not worried, he felt a bit more relaxed. He grabbed his bag from the trunk of the car and followed his mom towards the door. It was a bit odd to him they were entering through the front door, but dismissed it quickly.

"Man it's dark in here," Ryuto said.

Then the lights suddenly came on and several people jumped from behind furniture and walls.

"Surprise!"

Ryuto let out a terrified yelp at the suddenness of everything, but once he saw what was going on his fear turned into happiness.

All his friends from the U.S. had been waiting for him to arrive home. He then began to laugh as his friends began to crowd around him.

"It's so good to see you guys! Five months feels like an entirety."

In front of him stood Barry, Cisco, Jay, and Ronnie.

"We're not the only one's here," Barry said.

"Did the whole team drop by?" Ryuto asked.

"Nope, just a fiery friend," a female voice said.

Ryuto then felt a light punch on his arm. He turned to see Cadence smiling up to him.

"What's up, Cade?" Ryuto said as he held up a closed fist. "It's been forever."

"You bet it has," Cadence replied as she fist bumped Ryuto.

"It's great to see you guys again," Ryuto said with a laugh.

"Well, there is one more person here," Cisco said.

"Who else?"

Cisco used his thumb to point to the side and Ryuto turned to where he was pointing to find Caitlin standing shyly to the side. There was a hint of red on her cheeks, which began to form on Ryuto as well.

"Hey, Cait. It's been awhile," Ryuto said.

"Indeed it has," Caitlin responded.

She then took a step forward and hugged him. As Ryuto lifted his arms to return the hug, the sound of Caitlin clearing her throat made him stop.

"What do you guys think you're doing? I thought this was going to be a group hug."

"Wait, what?"

Before Ryuto could anything he felt more bodies beginning to hug him. Even if he did feel like he was being crush, the fact that he was with his friends again made everything better.

The group hugged for a few more moments before they allowed Ryuto to breathe again. Ryuto could not help but smile at the situation.

"Okay everyone, let's all move from the door way," Rikai said.

"Sorry, Mrs. Rishihara," Jay replied.

"I'll meet you guys back out here in a sec. Let me leave my bags in my room," Ryuto said.

"Sure thing, man. We ain't going anywhere," Ronnie said with a thumbs up.

"Remember, Ryuto. Shoes," Rikai advised.

"I know, Mom."

Ryuto took off his shoes and picked them up, along with his bag, and walked towards his room.

As he walked away, Cadence nudged Caitlin's shoulder. The girl turned towards her friend who was gesturing for her to follow him. Caitlin tired to fight it, but with a reluctant sigh she followed the grey-haired teen.

When Ryuto turned on the light to his room, he groaned at the sight of it. It really had not changed in the whole time he was gone. He set down his backpack on the bed and his other bag on the floor next to his bed, finally placing his shoes in his closet. As he closed the closet door, the sight of picture frames caught his attention. He look at all of them and found a familiar wave of nostalgia at looking at them. He chuckled lightly and walked towards his backpack. From there he pulled out a picture frame and placed on the desk. It was the group photo from after the match between Seirin and CCHS; he had the another on his desk in Japan. Then, the sound of a knock on the door caught his attention.

"I'm coming, Barr-" Ryuto's words stopped as he turned around to see Caitlin waiting in the doorway. "Oh, Cait. Didn't know it was you. You can come in."

Caitlin nodded and took a few steps into the room. She glanced around it, taking it all in.

"It's kinda embarrassing knowing that all this stuff was from when I was like thirteen."

"I think it's fine," Caitlin said with a shrug.

He gaze then fell on his desk and on the recently placed picture frame. She smiled at the picture's contents. Happy knowing that everything turned out okay in the end.

"I'm glad you're back, Ryu. We've all missed you," Caitlin said turning towards him.

"I've missed you guys too, and I had to keep my promise to you," Ryuto replied.

"Promise?" Caitlin asked with the tilt of her head.

Ryuto nodded and smiled. "The promise we made in eight grade. I said would come back to visit. Sorry it took so long."

Caitlin could feel the red forming in her cheeks. "Can't believe you still remember that." She nervously tucked a lock of hair behind her hair causing her to reveal the cherry blossom that was tied to her head band.

Ryuto smiled when he saw it. "I'm glad you got the cherry blossom."

Caitlin's hand quickly went to the flower, now with an intense blush on her cheeks.

"No need to be embarrassed about it. It was meant to be a gift from me to you," Ryuto said with a chuckle.

"I've been meaning to thank you for it. Despite its age, it's still beautiful."

"I'm glad."

"Ryuto! Come on! Your dad is just about done cooking!" Cisco's voice called out from the kitchen.

"Coming!" Ryuto yelled back before turning back to Caitlin. "It is really good to see you again."

"The same goes for me."

Ryuto then stretched his arms wide inviting the girl for a hug. "Come on. We still gotta hug it out."

Caitlin laughed and hugged the grey-haired teen. "I see you're still impossible to deal with."

"One of my charms," Ryuto replied as the two separated.

The two walked out of his room and towards the kitchen, where everyone was waiting.

"You two were gone for awhile," Cadence said with a sly tone.

"Well you guys didn't let us properly greet each other," Ryuto said.

"Let them be guys," Jay said.

"Whose ready for some sukiyaki?" Ryunosuke, Ryuto's father said.

"I'm so ready," Ryuto said with a smile.

Then the meal dedicated, as Cisco put it, to Ryuto's return was met with laugher and smiles from everyone. Every person had a story to tell about something from the past. Be it Ryuto's stories from Japan, or reminiscing on their middle school days. Barry then asked what was it like being a second year in Japan.

"Ugh, it sucks. All the underclassmen add the senpai honorific to my name and I hate it," Ryuto answered.

"It can't be that bad," Cadence said with a laugh.

"I just don't like that people my age add an honorific to my name. I try telling them that they can call me by my first name, but they insist on calling me 'Rishihara-senpai'," Ryuto said.

Everyone began to laugh at Ryuto's unhappiness about his complaints. They knew that Ryuto was never one to follow formalities, but if he had to he would be formal. Their laughter infected Ryuto as he began to laugh as well.

They talked and ate until there was nothing left to eat and nothing else to talk about.

To Ryunosuke, it was obvious that everyone was satisfied with the meal and that was enough to make him happy, but he was happier that his son was with his friends.

"Hey, Ryuto. I've got to ask you something," Barry said.

"Sure man, what's up?"

"Let's have a one-on-one," Barry said as he jumped to his feet.

Everyone seemed to stop in place and stare at Barry.

"Come on dude, we all just ate," Cisco said.

"No, it's fine," Ryuto said as he got to his feet. "I accept your challenge."

To those around them, it was obvious nothing was going to stop them from playing, so they just went with it. The two boys smiled at each other and they could both see their eyes spark.

 **AN: With this chapter, Voices From The Past comes to an end. Sorry for making this chapter so short, but everything I wanted to say was conveyed in this final chapter. It also serves as an epilogue to the story.**

 **With all that out of the way, i want to thank everyone who stuck with this story for the two years I've been writing it. When I started writing this, I thought it wouldn't turn out to be a story I was so fond of. The fact that it's coming to an end makes me sad, but happy at the same time. I'm glad I poured so much time into it because as this story continued so did my skills as a writer.**

 **I hope you all enjoyed this story as much as I enjoyed writing it. Thank you for supporting this wacky idea I had when I was in eleventh grade of combining Kuroko's Basketball and the Arrowverse. I still can't believe I started this when I was seventeen years old.**

 **Now it's finally time to let this story, and Ryuto's story rest. I've had a lot of fun writing his story and I hope you had fun reading it. And who knows. Maybe, after some time, I'll crack open this universe I've created again. Once again, thank you for reading this story and I hope you stick around for whatever comes next.**


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